Published on September 21, 2022 by Ryan Galloway  
(Courtesy: Samford Debate)
(Courtesy: Samford Debate)

At the first debate tournament of the season hosted by Northwestern Â鶹ÊÓƵ, the Samford Novice Debate Team of Abby Montgomery and Grace Scott went undefeated in the preliminary rounds and advanced to the final four of the tournament. The duo defeated teams from George Mason Â鶹ÊÓƵ, Liberty Â鶹ÊÓƵ, the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Indiana, the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Houston, and Trinity Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Scott was named fourth speaker of the tournament.

The team of Libby Hutchinson and Praise Kelly-Williams also competed in the novice division, advancing to the elite eight and defeated multiple teams from Liberty Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Kelly-Williams was named the tenth speaker of the tournament.

The team of Joey Tarnowski and Aaron Gill competed in the Varsity division, defeating teams from New York Â鶹ÊÓƵ, Harvard, and Tufts Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Grace Blackwell and TJ Riggs also competed in Varsity, defeating teams from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Wyoming and the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Georgia.

“These victories set us up well for the rest of the season and build momentum for the fall tournaments," said Samford Debate Executive Director Ryan Galloway. 

The team competes at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Kentucky debate tournament in the next two weeks.

 
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.