Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 11/15/00
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple   95

EIGHT SOUTHEASTERN STUDENTS WIN IN NATS COMPETITION
     HAMMOND -- Eight Southeastern Louisiana University students were among the
winners in the recent National Association of Teachers of Singing Southern Regional
competition.
     The Southeastern students were among more than 500 singers from Louisiana,
Mississippi and Arkansas who participated in the competition, held November 9-11 at the
University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Of the 23 Southeastern students competing,
17 advanced to the semifinal round.
     Amanda Tarver of Prairieville took first place in the Broadway Division and Jacquie
Brecheen of Ponchatoula was first in the Freshman Women division. Kirstin Hoiseth of
Minneapolis, Minn., and Lara Tillotson of Dallas, Texas, were second place finishers in the
Junior Women and Graduate Women divisions, respectively.
     Winners also included James Roberts of Turpin, Ok., who placed third in the Broadway
division and fourth in the Graduate Men division; Patricia Ramirez, Hammond, third place,
Older Undergraduates division, and Rosarian Hurtel of Ama, fourth place, Freshmen Men
division.
     The finalist were from the voice studios of Southeastern music faculty John Bostic,
Scharmal Schrock and Dr. Emily Truckenbrod.
     Students who advanced to the second round of competition were Emily Weldin,
Murphysboro, Ill.; Wendy Kinchen, Ponchatoula; William Daussin, Mandeville; Summer Grest,
Ponchatoula;  Jason Rainwater, Covington; Melissa LeBlanc, Gonzales; Lara Tillotson,
Hammond; Daveda Karanas, Mandeville; Kyle Jones, Bogalusa; Stephen Day, Mandeville; and
Nekisha Cobb, Ponchatoula.
     Also participating were Nicole LeBlanc, Mandeville; Crysta Maricelli, Covington; Erin
Perdue, Galvez; Christina Villalobos, Chalmette; Candice Picard, Slidell, and Julius Dietze,
Folsom.
                             -SLU-
Press release available online at www.selu.edu./NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newsf00.htm