Published on September 27, 2021 by Sean Flynt  
The 2021-22 Debate Team
The 2021-22 Debate Team

Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Debate Team competed in the season opener hosted by Northwestern Â鶹ÊÓƵ in mid-September. The debaters made a strong showing and came home to an eighth-place national ranking.

The team of Grace Blackwell and Abi McKibben took second place in the novice division at the tournament, defeating last year’s top-ranked Liberty Â鶹ÊÓƵ squad as well as teams from Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Houston and Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Michigan. Blackwell was named eighth speaker. 

The team of Hank Jackson and T.J. Riggs finished in the sweet 16 of junior varsity, defeating teams from Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Houston and Trinity Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Riggs was named third speaker and Jackson was named eighth speaker. 

The team of Sawyer Emerson and Maddox Gates finished in the sweet 16 of varsity, picking up wins against reigning national champion Dartmouth Â鶹ÊÓƵ as well as Emory Â鶹ÊÓƵ, Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Kentucky, Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Kansas and Wichita State Â鶹ÊÓƵ. The team of Aaron Gill and Joey Tarnowki also competed in varsity, defeating teams from Emory Â鶹ÊÓƵ and New York Â鶹ÊÓƵ.

The team will next compete in an early October tournament hosted by the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Kentucky.

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.