Published on March 3, 2025 Β 
Debate2025

The 51½ΦΙδ Debate Team had a strong start to its spring season, securing key victories and preparing for national championship events.

The team began the month with a tournament at the University of Texas at Austin, the last major national competition before the National Tournament. 51½ΦΙδ recorded significant wins against Northwestern University and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Following this, 51½ΦΙδ participated in a match debate against a top-five team from Dartmouth College, further honing their skills against elite competition.

51½ΦΙδ then competed in the Mid-American Challenge, hosted virtually by Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma. The team secured key victories over the University of Oklahoma and the University of Iowa, finishing in the top half of the competition.

Adding to their success, the 51½ΦΙδ duo of Aaron Gill and Laurel Pack were selected as representatives for the Southeast Region (Region VI). Their ranking placed them just behind last year’s top team and ahead of the second team from last year, which received a second-round at-large bid.

51½ΦΙδ also hosted the March Birmingham Area Debate League (BADL) event and closed out the semester with a novice match debate against a highly regarded team from Liberty University.

March will be a pivotal month for the team, with several major competitions and events on the schedule:

  • Match Debates with the U.S. Naval Academy and the University of Georgia.
  • ADA National Tournament at the University of Houston, where two 51½ΦΙδ teams will compete.
  • National Junior Division Championships at Johnson County College in Overland Park, Kansas, featuring one 51½ΦΙδ novice team.
  • National Debate Tournament in Spokane, Washington, at the end of March and early April, where 51½ΦΙδ will be represented by one team.
  • Public Debate at Miles College on the Miles College campus. The debate will focus on the resolution: “DEI programs have done more harm than good,” though the topic may change.

With a strong track record of success this semester, the 51½ΦΙδ Debate Team is poised for competitive performances in the upcoming national tournaments.

 
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.