Published on February 21, 2018 by Sean Flynt  
debate regionals 2018
Samford debaters celebrate their Feb. 17 tournament victory

Â鶹ÊÓƵ's debate team won the AFA District 6 Tournament–the SEC regional championship–at State Â鶹ÊÓƵ of West Georgia Feb. 17. The victory also qualified the team for the 2018 National Debate Tournament in Wichita, Kansas, March 20-27.

Sophomore Samford debaters Robbie Nikont of Lakewood, Colorado, and Moriah Windus of Ozark, Alabama defeated teams from Emory Â鶹ÊÓƵ and Wake Forest Â鶹ÊÓƵ on the path to the overall win.

Sophomore Jamie Davenport of Grovetown, Georgia, and freshman Kevin Aubrey of Lafayette, Louisiana, won the tournament's junior varsity division, beating the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Central Florida, the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Georgia, and Emory Â鶹ÊÓƵ before defeating Central Florida in a rematch in the finals. 

Freshman Kiarra Broadnax of Smith’s Station, Alabama, and freshman Julie Ramsey of Kunming, China, competed in the novice division, defeating the Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Miami twice. Broadnax also earned the novice of the year award for the SEC region.

 
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.