KU debaters recognized as best in nation

Fri, 04/04/2025

Scott Harris

LAWRENCE — University of Kansas debaters John Marshall, Lawrence, and Graham Revare, Prairie Village, received the Rex Copeland Award as the top team in the country over the season April 3 at the opening ceremony of the National Debate Tournament in Spokane, Washington. Brett Bricker won the James J. Unger Award as the coach of the regular season champions.

From left, John Marshall, coach Brett Bricker and Graham Revare.

Marshall and Revare competed at eight tournaments and compiled a preliminary round record of 40-4, elimination round record of 23-3 and were 8-4 at two round-robin invitationals for the top teams in the country. They began the season by winning the Owen L. Coon Memorial Tournament at Northwestern University in September and closed the season by winning the Texas Open Tournament at the University of Texas in February. In between they won the Georgetown College Tournament and the Herbert L. James Debates at Dartmouth. They finished second at the J.W. Patterson Debates hosted by the University of Kentucky and the Run for the Roses Tournament at the University of Kentucky. They took third place at the Franklin R. Shirley Debates at Wake Forest University and fifth at the Harvard College Tournament.

Over the eight tournaments, the KU duo collected a string of individual speaker awards as they were both among the top speakers at every tournament they attended. Marshall was the top speaker at Northwestern, Kentucky, Georgetown and Dartmouth, second speaker at Wake Forest and Texas, and third speaker at the Run for the Roses and Harvard tournaments. Revare was the top speaker at the Run for the Roses and the Texas Open, second speaker at Kentucky and Harvard, third speaker at Northwestern, Wake Forest and Dartmouth, and fifth speaker at Georgetown.

Scott Harris, the David B. Pittaway Director of Debate, said, “This was a remarkable season by two incredibly talented debaters and is one of the most impressive seasons in the history of KU Debate.”

Marshall and Revare are the third KU team to finish the regular season as the top team in the country. KU’s previous winners of the Copeland Award were Mark Gidley and Zachary Grant in 1982 and William Katz and Quaram Robinson in 2018.

Marshall was also named a Summa Cum Laude member of the Academic All American team by the Cross Examination Debate Association for his academic achievements.

The National Debate Tournament will take place April 4-7 at Gonzaga University. Last year, Revare debating with William Soper and Marshall debating with Jiyoon Park met in the Elite Eight of the NDT, with the higher-seeded team of Revare and Soper advancing to the Final Four. They reached the championship debate and finished as the national runners-up to the University of Michigan.

This year, KU will have three teams competing at the NDT. Joining Marshall and Revare are the team of Rose Larson, Milwaukee, and Luna Schultz, Houston, and the team of Ethan Harris and Jacob Wilkus, both from Lawrence.