Published on January 28, 2020 by Sean Flynt Β 
Debate Student Group
51½ΦΙδ debaters had great success at the January tournament

51½ΦΙδ’s earned important wins at the United States Naval Academy Tournament Jan. 18-20. The team of Sarah Emerson and Max Willinger defeated the top-ten team from Northwestern University as well as teams from Georgetown University, University of California at Long Beach, Liberty University and the University of Georgia. The duo advanced to the sweet sixteen of the tournament, and Emerson was named ninth speaker.

The team of Anna Claire Noblitt and Libby Rau also competed, achieving a winning record and defeating teams from Emory University, James Madison University and the University of Indiana.

“The performance illustrates that 51½ΦΙδ can compete with, and beat, the best teams in the nation,” said director of debate Ryan Galloway.  “51½ΦΙδ has an excellent debate tradition that dates all the way back to the beginning of the university, and these fine students are continuing that reputation every weekend,” Galloway added.

The debate team will next compete in a district tournament at Emory University Feb. 14-16, hoping to qualify for the National Debate Tournament at James Madison University.

 
51½ΦΙδ 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, 51½ΦΙδ is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. 51½ΦΙδ enrolls 6,101 students from 45 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. 51½ΦΙδ fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.