KU Debate wins CEDA National Championship as season concludes

LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas Debate team of freshman Kate’Lynn Shaw, Chicago, and junior Nargis Suleman, Leawood, won the Cross Examination Debate Association National Championship Tournament hosted by the State University of New York at Binghamton.

The win is among several strong finishes for the KU Debate program.

CEDA tournament

The KU duo defeated a team from the University of Iowa on a 5-4 decision from a panel of judges to win the CEDA championship debate. In addition, a second KU team of seniors Averi Harker, Olathe, and Luna Schultz, Houston, finished in third place at the tournament, which took place April 2-6.

The CEDA Championship was the final tournament of the 2025-26 season. A field of 88 teams representing 35 universities from across the country gathered in Binghamton, New York, to compete for the CEDA championship.

Shaw and Suleman won six of eight preliminary debates and advanced to the elimination rounds as the No. 6 seed. They advanced through the single-elimination bracket, defeating James Madison University in the round of 32, Georgetown University in the round of 16 and New York University in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals.

Harker and Schultz also won six of eight preliminary debates and advanced to the single-elimination rounds as the No. 7 seed. They defeated Trinity University in the round of 32, the University of Texas-San Antonio in the round of 16 and Northwestern University in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals.

The two KU teams closed out one side of the semifinal bracket, with the higher-seeded KU team advancing to the championship debate. The University of Iowa defeated CSU Long Beach on a 3-2 decision in the other semifinal to reach the finals.

All four KU semifinalists also won top-10 individual speaker awards as Suleman was fourth, Shaw sixth, Schultz eighth and Harker ninth.

Two other KU teams also advanced to the elimination rounds at the CEDA tournament. The team of Carson Bath, Topeka, and Nate Boyle, St. Louis, qualified for the single-elimination rounds but lost a split decision to George Mason University in the round of 32. The team of Estrella Hernandez, Kansas City, Missouri, and Isaac Martinez, Spearman, Texas, also reached the elimination rounds but lost a split decision to Wake Forest University. A fifth KU team, Aidan Foust, Olathe, and Sasha Sharman, Spokane, Washington, just missed out on qualifying for elimination rounds.

This was the first time that a KU team has won the prestigious CEDA Championship tournament. KU finished as the CEDA runner-up in 2019, 2015 and 2008.

“We are so proud of Kate’Lynn and Nargis for the historic accomplishment of winning the CEDA championship. They are incredible debaters, and it is a joy to see their hard work pay off,” said Assistant Coach Azja Butler, who reached the CEDA finals as a KU debater in 2019.

“The teams put on an amazing performance at the tournament, and their success is a testament to the strength and depth of the KU Debate squad. The championship is a culmination of a season of hard work by the entire squad and coaching staff,” said Scott Harris, the David B. Pittaway Director of KU Debate. “In the final round, Kate’Lynn and Nargis paid tribute to the legacy of the KU debaters who came before them and who paved the way to make it possible for them to succeed, including the teams that came just short of the CEDA championship, Azja Butler, Kenny Delph, Jyleesa Hampton, Quaram Robinson, Nate Johnson and Chris Stone, and the alumni whose contributions made it possible for us to attend the tournament. Winning the CEDA Championship was the last elusive goal for KU Debate, and this is a tremendous accomplishment by Kate’Lynn and Nargis and for the entire program.”

The KU Debate squad also received several season-long honors at the CEDA Awards ceremony. KU Debate finished second in the country in the season-long CEDA Sweepstakes point standings. Harker and Schultz were both named to the All-American Debate Team. Eleven KU debaters also received All Academic Team recognition, including Claire Ain, Overland Park; Connor Brown, Lawrence; Foust; Harker; Brianna Lemaster, Norman, Oklahoma; Ava Levin, Leawood; Sean McConnell, Topeka; Owen Owings, Lee’s Summit, Missouri; AJ Persinger, Lawrence; Schultz and Sharman.

National Debate Tournament

The CEDA championship follows KU Debate’s performance at the National Debate Tournament from March 26 to 30 at the University of Houston, where all three KU teams that qualified made it to the Sweet 16. It is only the fourth time KU has had three teams reach the elimination rounds at the NDT and only the second time KU has had three teams reach the Sweet 16. KU also won three individual speaker awards: Larson was third, Schultz seventh and Brooklynn Hato 20th.  

The team of Rose Larson, Milwaukee, with Schultz qualified for elimination rounds as the 13th seed. They defeated the University of Texas-Dallas on a 5-0 decision in the round of 32. They lost a 3-2 split decision in the Sweet 16 to the University of Michigan.

The team of Hato, Overland Park, with Persinger qualified for elimination rounds as the 14th seed. They defeated Macalester College in the round of 32 on a 5-0 decision but lost to Georgetown University on a 4-1 decision in the Sweet 16.

The team of Owings with Zach Willingham, Topeka, qualified for elimination rounds and defeated the University of Iowa in the round of 32 on a 3-2 split decision. The pair lost a 4-1 decision to California State University-Long Beach in the Sweet 16.

British Parliamentary debate

While other Jayhawks were competing in the National Debate Tournament, members of the British Parliamentary Debate team competed at the YODL British Parliamentary Championship Tournament at Clemson University. KU had two teams reach the semifinals of the honors division at the tournament as the teams of Alex Brake, Olathe, with Stevie Silverman, Raytown, Missouri, and Isaac Martinez, Spearman, Texas, with Morgan Peters, Clay Center, qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament, where they won and advanced to the semifinals.

“This was an amazing season by a very talented set of students. It is only fitting that the season ends with KU students holding a championship trophy,” said Brett Bricker, KU’s head debate coach.