MSU DEBATE TEAM WINS NORTHWESTERN TOURNAMENT

2/8/2002

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State University's top two-person debate team captured the top position at the Owen L. Coon Memorial Debate Tournament Feb. 6.

The event, hosted by Northwestern University, is one of four major regular season tournaments along with tournaments hosted by Harvard University, Wake Forest University and University of Kentucky.

Approximately 138 teams from more than 50 United States colleges and universities participated in the tournament.

The duo of Austin Carson, an international relations senior from Grand Rapids, and Calum Matheson, a social relations junior from East Lansing, both James Madison College students, secured the tournament for the Spartans. They won seven of their eight preliminary debates to qualify for the single-elimination round as the fourth seed behind Dartmouth College, Fort Hayes State University and Wake Forest.

Carson and Matheson then went on to win five consecutive debates against Catholic University, the University of Southern California, University of California-Berkeley, Harvard and Whitman College in the finals to win the tournament. Also, Matheson was recognized as the second individual speaker and Carson received the 15th speaker honor. "

Austin and Calum are widely expected to finish the regular season ranked third in the nation behind Dartmouth and Northwestern, which is better in this category than any other team in MSU history," said Jason Trice, director of debate. "Obviously Austin and Calum have had an incredibly successful year thus far."

In addition to the winning duo, debaters Greta Stahl of Shelby Township and David Strauss of East Lansing, both James Madison College sophomores, won seven of their eight preliminary debates to qualify for the elimination rounds as the fifth seed. They defeated Gonzaga University and University of California-Fullerton before losing to third seed Wake Forest in the quarterfinal round.

Also, Stahl was named 12th speaker and Strauss was named the 17th speaker, making it the first time in MSU history that four MSU students have finished in the top 20 speakers at a major tournament.

The team will spend the next several weeks preparing for the national championship tournaments, including the Freshman National Championship, the National Debate Tournament and the Cross Examination Debate Associate, held in March and April.

"This year's team members have proven that they are serious contenders for these titles, but a lot has to go our way for it to happen," Trice said. "If our team comes together and everyone works as hard as we have in the past, I like our chances, but it always comes down to the wire."