After a busy and productive fall semester, the West Virginia University Debate Team has a lot to be proud of, including a top national ranking. In the latest National Debate Tournament rankings, WVU is ranked 13th among 141 competing universities.
The team started the year on a positive note at the season-opening tournament hosted by Kings College. Co-captains Rebecca Evans, a senior political science major, and Douglas Squire, a senior mathematics major, won the junior varsity division. Evans and Squire won a 2-1 decision over Cornell and a 3-0 decision over Mary Washington.
Political science major Steve Dowell and engineering major Joe Hayes won the novice division at the University of Rochester Debate Tournament. They are currently ranked first out of 206 novice teams in experimental new team rankings.
“I am so pleased with the performance of our debaters the first half of the season,”said coach Neil Berch.”We are a very young team, but Im expecting big things during the spring half of the season.”
Berch and his team from last year received national recognition when they were honored the 2002 Best Debate Program award in the region. The award is chosen by a vote from other coaches in the Northeast.
“I am pleased to see the Mountaineer debate team doing so well,”said M. Duane Nellis, dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, which sponsors the team through the Department of Political Science.”Their hard work shows as they prepare for the spring semester.”
Besides competing in tournaments in the region this past semester, the team participated in WVU s Operation Jump Start this past August. The program enriches the experience of freshmen college students who want to explore the University. Cassi Angus and Doug Squire argued in favor of the death penalty while Steve Dowell and Joe Hayes argued against.
The team will participate in a mini-camp in Carrollton, Ga., during the break between semesters and then will participate in the University of West Georgia tournament. Tournaments to follow are those sponsored by Navy, Cornell, the University of Kansas, Junior Varsity and Novice Nationals at Towson University and CEDA Nationals at Arizona State.
Looking ahead, the debaters are preparing to host the third annual John A. Jacobsohn Memorial Mountaineer Classic Debate Tournament Feb. 7-9.