Published on February 2, 2016 by Sean Flynt  
Samford Debate Mural
Samford Debate Mural

The Samford debate team of Carly Davis of Windermere, Florida, and Wesley Staples of Killen, Alabama, won the Novice division of Hoosier Invitational Debate Tournament Jan. 30–Feb 1. Davis was named top speaker. Staples was named second speaker.

The Samford Davis/Staples team was undefeated in preliminary rounds and defeated Vanderbilt Â鶹ÊÓƵ in the finals. The team also defeated debaters from Illinois College and Wayne State Â鶹ÊÓƵ. 

Other Samford teams in every division scored winning records. The Varsity team of Natalie Bennie of Brentwood, Tennessee, and Marley Davis of Mount Olive, Alabama, defeated teams from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Florida, Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Iowa, Michigan State Â鶹ÊÓƵ and Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Northern Iowa. Bennie was named seventh speaker.

The Junior Varsity team of Hope Reamer of Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Ashley Herring of Chattanooga, Tennessee, defeated teams from Lakeland College and the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Michigan. Reamer was named fifth speaker. 

 
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. Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 35 Most Beautiful College Campuses, 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.