The Hillsdale College Debate Team swept the competition at the Bowling Green University Spring Debate Tournament Feb. 24 and 25, taking Sweepstakes both days of the tournament, and hugely successful in both team and individual events.
The debate team performed at the top of their game at Bowling Green university, bringing home the grand prizes for both days, as well as a variety of team and individual titles in the separate events.
“This weekend was very encouraging and very fun. It also bodes very well for the upcoming Pi Kappa Delta tournament because it is only our second IPDA (Individual Parliamentary Debate Association) tournament in the year, and IPDA is very important for our success at Pi Kappa Delta,” senior Bryan Brooks said.
The debate was especially successful because the individual events contestants, sophomores Ian Fury and Brandon Butz, both did very very well, Brooks said. They agreed to compete in the individual events, which allows the debate team to focus on the team events.
On the first day of the swing tournament, the team won Sweepstakes, Brooks won second in Lincoln Douglas, freshman Bri Hearn and Kevin Ambrose won second in team Parliamentary, and junior Alex Graf won second place in the Parliamentary individual event.
On the second day, the team won Sweepstakes, closing out the finals in Parliamentary, meaning the two Hillsdale teams juniors Ian Hanchett and Lauren Holt in one and freshman Emily Runge and Brooks in the other were the last two teams and both received the first place awards. In the individuals, Fury and Butz closed out the Parliamentary debate.
“The tournament was particularly challenging because the resolutions all were themed on the Greek gods and goddesses and the second day on the Greek fraternity system, so we really had to think outside the box when we were debating,” Runge said. “I think Hillsdale really showed its adaptability with the varied judging and interesting resolutions of this tournament.”
The individual events team was also very successful separately, as Fury won first in After Dinner Speaking and fifth in Long from Impromptu, senior Andrew Dykstal won third in After Dinner speaking, first in Long Form Impromptu, sixth in Impromptu, and third in Extemporaneous, sophomore Andrew Montgomery was a finalist in Persuasive speaking, and Butz third in Long Form Impromptu.
“It was not only an achievement for the debate team but also for the individual events team, as they did really well too, and it is just proof of the amount of talent in the students at this college,” Debate Coach and Assistant Professor of Speech Matthew Doggett said.
The next tournament will be at Otterbein University this weekend, March 2 and 3.