Michigan State debate team takes second place at Wake Forest Tournament

Contact: Mike Eber, Interim Director of Debate, (517) 214-6435 (cell), eber@msu.edu; or Kristin K. Anderson, University Relations, (517) 353-8819, ander248@msu.edu

11/23/2005

EAST LANSING, Mich – Michigan State University debaters finished the fall semester with a second-place finish at the largest debate tournament of the semester.

The 49th Annual Wake Forest University Shirley Classic was held Nov. 12-14 in Winston-Salem, N.C. With more than 70 colleges and 140 teams in attendance, success at Wake Forest is considered the capstone accomplishment of the fall semester.

“We’re known for always gaining momentum during the spring, so the team is positioned very well right now,” said Will Repko, head debate coach at MSU.

Seniors Ryan Burke, an international relations major from Bloomfield Hills, and Casey Harrigan, an international relations major from Holland, both James Madison College students, defeated seven teams in preliminary debates. Those teams represented colleges from all over the nation: the University of California-Berkeley in the West; the University of Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest; Dartmouth College in the Northeast; the University of Georgia, Emory University and Liberty University in the South; and Wayne State University in the Midwest.

Burke and Harrigan entered elimination debates as the third-seeded team. The road to the final round was challenging - MSU had to defeat the University of Kentucky, Northwestern University, Emory University and Idaho State University. The final round was against Harvard University and was not decided until well after midnight.

Burke was awarded the 10th Place Individual Speaker Award, and Harrigan was awarded the 12th Place Individual Speaker Award.

“Our accomplishments this semester are stronger than ever before,” said Mike Eber, interim director of debate. “Burke and Harrigan were first, second, third and fifth at the major competitions of the year.”

MSU also had two teams narrowly miss qualifying for elimination rounds. James Madison College students James Durkee, a political theory junior from Mt. Vernon, Wash., and Jillian Tietjen, an international relations junior from Grosse Pointe, were the 33rd seed. Debbie Lai, an international relations junior from Troy, and Caitlin Ryan, a political theory junior from Grand Rapids, also won a majority of their preliminary debates.

Highlights of the MSU team’s fall semester include:

• First Place, Georgia State University Tournament
• Second Place, Wake Forest University Tournament
• Second Place, Wayne State University Tournament
• Third Place, Harvard University Tournament
• Fifth Place, University of Kentucky Tournament 

The next tournament for the MSU Debate Team will be at John Carroll University in early December where some of the younger Spartans will compete. The team also travels to California during MSU’s winter break for two tournaments.

For additional information, visit http://debate.msu.edu