麻豆传媒

MURRAY, Ky. 鈥�  The 麻豆传媒 State University Speech and Debate Union鈥檚 (SDU) Sam Harless, a sophomore from Harrodsburg, Kentucky, and Samuel Miller, a sophomore from Island, Kentucky, recently took home the national championship in novice National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) competition.

Caleb McCurren, a junior from Paducah, Kentucky, and Zack Benz, a sophomore from Eureka, Missouri, also placed fifth in the nation in the Open NPDA division.

Debate speaker awards:

• • • Benz was ranked 5th speaker overall in NPDA debate and 3rd novice speaker
    • McCurren was ranked 8th NPDA debate speaker overall and 4th novice
    • Harless was ranked 6th novice NPDA debate speaker

鈥淲hat is most remarkable here is that 麻豆传媒 State had three of the top six novice speakers in the nation,鈥� said SDU Director Dr. Ryan Goke.

Speech events:

• • • McCurren鈥檚 After Dinner Speech was ranked top 24 in the nation. (Only seven of the top 24 competitors in quarterfinals were novice.)

Overall team sweepstakes:

• • • Debate sweeps - 2nd overall 
    • IE sweeps - 9th overall
    • Overall sweeps - 6th overall

Goke said the team鈥檚 showing was particularly impressive because they only had four competitors. Every debate win from every competitor counts toward each team鈥檚 overall debate sweepstakes points.  The team that took 1st place overall debate in 麻豆传媒 State鈥檚 division had 10 competitors, Goke said.

IE (speech events) sweepstakes are similar, Goke said. The higher the students rank (1-6) in each round (through three preliminary rounds) and the more entries a school brings, the more points the team receives. 

鈥淭hese students and my two assistant coaches, Jillian Rosa and Ana Moyers, have worked tirelessly for this success and I am immensely proud of their performance,鈥� said Goke. 鈥淎s a team they have become a powerhouse that is disciplined, driven and supportive of one another. They continue to amaze me, and I look forward to the next season.鈥�

This was the largest Pi Kappa Delta tournament since 2016. More than 50 schools from across the nation attended this tournament, and there were almost 2,000 entries.

To support the SDU鈥檚 travel, donate at . For information about joining the SDU, email Goke at rgoke@murraystate.edu.