Debate Team Outperforms More than a Dozen Colleges and Universities
Photo: (From left to right) Kevin Barrett, Nicholas Otranto, Clare Woollen, Gage Hillmann, Mary Rose Stepnowski, Africa Schaumann, Hannah Glynn, Brooke Keling.
BELMONT, N.C. (October 13, 2015) — Members of Belmont Abbey College’s recently revitalized debate team outperformed more than a dozen colleges and universities from more than half-a-dozen states to
earn first place sweepstakes at the University of Kentucky’s tournament held October 10-11, beating out, among others, nationally and regionally recognized debate squads representing Marshall
University, Purdue University, Texas Christian University, The University of Kentucky, Appalachian State University, Lenoir-Rhyne University, and Grove City College.
The sweepstakes award is based upon the combined win-loss record of each member of the squad and elimination round performance. Debaters from the Abbey qualified into six slots of the tournament’s quarterfinal round (elite eight) in novice division of IPDA and into two of slots in the quarterfinal round of novice NPDA. Of the eight Abbey debaters in the IPDA field, seven of them finished with at least a 3-1
record preliminary round record.
Among those qualifying for IPDA were Hannah Glynn, Mary Rose Stepnowski, Nicholas Otranto, Brooke Keling, Africa Schaumann, and Gage Hillmann. Kevin Barrett, who attended his first meet this weekend, won three of four debates in the division and missed reaching the quarterfinal round by four quality points. Schaumann and Glynn lost their quarterfinal rounds to debaters from Webster University (MO) and Marshall University, respectively. Based upon seeding,, Keling advanced over Hillman into semifinal round (final four), and Otranto advanced over Stepnowski, setting up a final four pairing between NPDA partners Otranto and Keling Again based upon seeding, Otranto advanced to the final round against the tournament’s second seed from Marshall University, where he lost on a 3-0 decision. Additionally, in the IPDA division, Schaumann won the second place speaker award and freshman Clare Woollen won the fifth place novice speaker award.
In novice NPDA (a format featuring two person teams), the Glynn and Stepnowski as well as Otranto and Keling earned their way into the quarterfinal round, where Otranto and Keling lost a 2-1 decision to Carson-Newman University (TN). Glynn and Stepnowski advanced to semifinals in that division on a 2-1 decision over DePauw University (IN) where they lost on a 3-0 decision to Appalachian State University (NC). The team of Clare Woollen and Gage Hillmann missed advancing to the quarterfinal round by two speaker points out of a total of 200.