Hillsdale varsity and junior varsity debate teams won first and second places in their respective brackets during last weekend’s online debate tournament hosted by the University of Minnesota. 

In varsity, sophomore pair Noah Woo and Jonathan Evans won the tournament overall with a 4-1 tournament record and a 2-1 final judge vote in favor. 

“It was a really good feeling to come to this league in a varsity setting and actually come through and deliver in what I know we have to offer,” Evans said. “It’s encouraging to see we’re able to apply those skills and come through in the top bracket.”

Evans and Woo were moved up to the varsity category this season after consistent high placing as both individuals and a team in their junior varsity matches last season. Before this win, they had placed second in the first tournament of the semester.

“It’s really nice to improve in this debate league,” Evans said. “We’ve become better at identifying and pulling out the big arguments and making convincing points about them.”

Woo ranked second overall among the varsity debaters. Senior Benjamin Brown won silver in evidence and analysis. Evans placed 3rd in the advocacy category. 

Another sophomore varsity pair, Kate Klein and Ewan McNamara, received 3rd place with a 4-1 record. 

Brown and junior Ryan Rodell competed with a 2-3 record. 

For Brown, who is on the Washington Hillsdale Internship Program and joined his teammate virtually, this was his second time debating this year. 

Brown said this is his ninth year doing competitive debate, and both he and Rodell are experienced enough that they feel comfortable experimenting with their dynamic.

“As a team, Ryan and I decided to experiment with this tournament,” Brown said. “It didn’t go very well.”

Rodell usually does the opening and closing arguments, while Brown does the second and third speech. When they reversed roles, Brown said they lost each round but won the two when they switched back. 

“I’ve realized that winning isn’t everything,” Brown, a former national debate champion, said. “I’m now in the space where I feel freer to enjoy debate, so that makes me more comfortable with doing things experimentally.” 

In the junior varsity tournament, two Hillsdale pairs, freshmen Caylee Norris and Marisol Saez, and senior Larisa Perez and freshman Lincoln Young, ended with 4-1 records.

Norris and Saez won second place, and Young and Perez won third. 

“In the end, the way they decided my team ended up getting into finals was that our speaker points were higher than theirs,” Norris said.

Norris won first place overall in the individual junior varsity category.

“I was really happy because I’ve been working really hard to explain, not just read, what it says and give the impact and why it matters,” Norris said. 

Kirstin Kiledal, professor of rhetoric and head debate coach, praised the team’s performance.

“Marisol Saez and Caylee Norris are a young force this fall,” Kiledal said. “Together, their energy and work effort is a driving force.”

Kiledal said the whole debate team’s placement in the tournament showed its growing depth and ability. Looking to the next event, she said the team will focus on developing its defenses against ideology-based arguments. 

The next tournament, the Big Tent Online, will be held Dec. 6-7.