KU Debate wins 4th tournament of season

LAWRENCE — Several members of the KU Debate team had a successful weekend at tournaments hosted by Rutgers University Jan. 21-23. Will Soper, a sophomore from Overland Park, defeated Baylor University in the championship debate of the Rutgers University Newark Invitational, the fourth tournament win for KU Debate this season. A second KU team of Brock Hines, a freshman from Lindale, Texas, and Jimin Park, a junior from Topeka, reached the semifinals of the tournament to finish in third place. 

Simultaneously, the KU team of juniors Mickey McMahon, Leawood, and Michael Scott, Glenview, Illinois, captured second place at the Brick City Round Robin Invitational, a round-robin invitational for 12 of the top teams in the country hosted by Rutgers. McMahon and Scott defeated teams from Dartmouth College, the University of Kentucky, the University of Michigan, Emory University and the University of California at Berkeley before losing a 3-2 split decision to Michigan State University in the Championship debate. 

A second KU team of Alex Barreto, a freshman from Oklahoma City Oklahoma, and Ryan Snow, a senior from Centennial, Colorado, won three of five debates at the Brick City Round Robin. They recorded victories over the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Michigan and California State University at Fullerton. Their losses were to Michigan State University and Johnson County Community College. 

KU debaters won several individual speaker awards as well. Soper was the top speaker and Park the second speaker at the Newark Invitational. McMahon was the top speaker and Scott the fourth speaker at the Brick City Round Robin. 

Soper won the Newark Invitational debating alone because his partner came down with strep throat the night before the tournament started and Rutgers allowed him to complete solo in the tournament. Soper defeated the University of Minnesota in the semifinals before meeting Baylor in the finals. Hines and Park lost a 2-1 split decision to Baylor in the semifinals. Both KU teams went 6-0 in the preliminary rounds of the Newark Invitational to advance to the elimination rounds.
  
This is the fourth debate tournament KU has won this season. Previously KU debaters won the Fear and Loathing in Dallas tournament and closed out the finals of the Rowdy Debates in Dallas tournament and the Phyllis Schatz Invitational at Binghamton University. Nine different KU debaters have experienced winning a varsity debate tournament this season. 

Photo: From left, Michael Scott, Will Soper and Mickey McMahon.