KU Debate sweeps Missouri State debate tournament

LAWRENCE — KU Debate teams closed out the championship debates in both the varsity and junior varsity divisions in the Bear-Shock debate tournament hosted by Missouri State University. A squad made up of first-year KU debaters captured the top two spots in the varsity division and the top three spots in the junior varsity division. 

Schools competing at the tournament, which took place Sept. 12-14, included Kansas State University, Missouri State University, the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Oklahoma, Southern Nazarene University, Southwestern College, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas San Antonio, Western Kentucky University and Wichita State University.

Varsity division

The KU duo of freshmen Asra June, Lenexa, and Nate Boyle, St. Louis, won five of six preliminary debates and qualified for the elimination rounds as the third seed. In the single-elimination bracket they defeated Western Kentucky University in the quarterfinals and a team from the University of Southern California in the semifinals to advance to the championship debate.

The KU team of freshmen Chase Blaser, Lawrence, and Lucy Pace, Fairway, went 4-2 in the preliminary rounds and qualified for the elimination rounds as the fourth seed. They defeated K-State in the quarterfinals and knocked off the top-seeded team from the University of Southern California in the semifinals to join their teammates in closing out the championship round.

A third Kansas team, freshmen Gilead Falin, Lawrence, and Harris Chaudhry, Topeka, qualified for the elimination rounds as the 11th seed but lost in the octafinals on a 2-1 split decision to Western Kentucky.

The KU pair of Brianna Lemaster, Norman, Oklahoma, and Payten LaPoint, Maize, also competing at their first tournament for KU, went 3-3 in the preliminary rounds and just missed qualifying for the single elimination debates.

Junior varsity division

In the junior varsity division, KU had an even more dominating performance as the three KU teams entered swept the top three spots in the division. Freshmen Tyler Bauman, Stilwell, Oklahoma, and Sigmund Persson, Boulder, Colorado, were a perfect 6-0 in the preliminary rounds to reach the elimination rounds as the top seed, and they defeated the host school, Missouri State University, in the semifinals.

The freshmen teams of Aryan Verma, Topeka, with Abigail Fordyce, Southlake, Texas, and Grayson Weber, Overland Park, with Cameron Linde, Overland Park, each went 5-1 in the preliminary rounds, qualified for the elimination rounds as the second and third seeds, and closed out one of the semifinal debates, assuring KU of having two teams in the championship debate.

Additional awards

KU debaters also won several individual speaker awards. In the varsity division, Blaser received the fourth-place award, Pace was seventh, and Chaudhry was 10th. In the junior varsity division, Bauman was first, Persson was second, Weber was sixth, Fordyce was ninth, and Verma was 10th.

This season KU’s policy teams are debating on the topic “Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially strengthen collective bargaining rights for workers in the United States.”

“It was incredibly exciting to have 12 first-year KU students, competing at their first college tournament, reach the elimination rounds and perform so well,” said Scott Harris, the David B. Pittaway Director of KU Debate. “It bodes very well for both the present and future of the program. I am grateful for the hard work of the students and coaching staff that made such a strong start to the season possible.”

KU Debate teams will have their next competition Sept. 27-29 at the University of Kentucky.