Debate sweeps tourney

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Hillsdale debate team senior Bryan Brooks, co-captain of the team, likens the success at their most recent tournament, the Gorlock Gala, at Webster University, to a battlefield after a war with the Spartans: only Hillsdale carried their shields home.

Despite going into the tournament a man down – one member came down with the flu the night before – the team returned with its heads held high, junior Ian Hanchett said, after meeting remarkable success throughout the tournament, receiving more awards than any other team and winning the tournament overall.

“We were facing better teams, especially in Parliamentary,” Brooks said. “On Friday, we competed in nine rounds in under 12 hours, literally running from building to building to avoid being disqualified for lateness.”

Brooks made it to the finals of Lincoln-Douglas debate and received second place overall. He also, with his partner, freshman Emily Runge, made it to the octofinals of the parliamentary debates.

“I feel like we did really well in parliamentary, as it is a new format for me, so it was encouraging to be able to hold our own against some of the best teams in the nation,” Runge said.

Runge also made it to the octofinals in open Lincoln-Douglas debates and received the seventh speaker award.

Hanchett received the third overall speaker award in the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Together, the Hillsdale debaters beat the teams that ranked first and second at nationals in Lincoln-Douglas last year.

Similarly, freshman Anna Seipel received fifth overall speaker in the parliamentary debates. She made it also to the semi-finals with her partner junior Alex Graf.

In junior varsity Lincoln-Douglas, freshmen team Bri Hearn and Kevin Ambrose made it to the semi-finals.

Hearn received third overall speaker.

“Just like the Spartans of old, we resolved after our subpar performance last semester to either come back with our shields, or on them,” Brooks said. “And we definitely came back with them held high.”

After such a performance, the team has confidence going into their next tournament, the “Gods and Goddesses of Debate” at Bowling Green University in Bowling Green, Ohio, on Feb. 8, 9, and 10.