Two KU Debate teams qualify for National Debate Tournament
LAWRENCE — Two University of Kansas Debate teams composed of John Marshall, Lawrence, with Graham Revare, Prairie Village, and Rose Larson, Milwaukee, with Luna Schultz, Houston, were selected as automatic qualifiers for the 2025 National Debate Tournament to take place April 3-7 in Spokane, Washington.
The top 16 teams in the country based on seasonlong performance are selected by the NDT National Committee to receive automatic qualification to the national tournament. This is the 58th consecutive year that KU Debate has qualified teams for the National Debate Tournament.
In 1973, the National Debate Tournament began admitting the top 16 teams in the country as automatic qualifiers for the national championship tournament. KU has now had 49 teams receive top 16 automatic qualification to the tournament. It is the third consecutive year that KU has had two teams recognized as automatic qualifiers and the ninth time KU has had two teams selected as first round recipients. The rest of the 78-team field will be chosen over the next month, and KU will attempt to qualify a third team to the field.
Joining KU as automatic qualifiers are Binghamton University, California State University at Long Beach, Dartmouth College, Emory University (two teams), Georgetown University, the University of Kentucky, Macalester College, the University of Michigan (two teams), Michigan State University, Northwestern University, Wake Forest University and the University of West Georgia. The rest of the 78-team field for the tournament will be filled through regional qualifying tournaments and second-round at-large selections over the next few weeks. KU has finished in the Final Four at the NDT in seven of the past nine seasons and were national champions in 2018 and the national runner-up in 2024.
“We are very proud of the achievement of the debaters as they build on the legacy of past generations of KU debaters,” said Brett Bricker, head coach, who won the NDT in 2009.
The coaching staff is led by Bricker along with assistant coaches Azja Butler, Ryan Cavanaugh, Allie Chase, Nathan Davis, Ash Denchfield, Jyleesa Hampton, Derek Hilligoss, Ned Gidley, Will Katz, Mickey McMahon, Nyx Moore, E.C. Powers, Max Reese, Michael Scott, Michael Swidecki, Alaina Walberg and Saiemeh Wahidi.
Scott Harris is the David B. Pittaway Director of the debate program.