The Grove City College Speech and Debate Team is the No. 4 Parliamentary debate program in the country, after logging commanding performances in its first three tournaments. It is the first time Grove City has cracked the top five of the National Parliamentary Debate Association, which is the largest debate association in the U.S. with about 250 teams.

In four years of Parliamentary debate competition, the program has risen steadily in the rankings. The team finished the 2008-2009 year ranked No. 9 nationally, and had been at the top of the rankings this semester before being edged down a few spots.

The team is coming off of its best finish yet after finishing first in the sweepstakes division at the Hillsdale College’s Richard M. Weaver Memorial Tournament Oct. 30 and 31. Grove City took seven teams, four in varsity and three in novice. All seven posted winning records and reached elimination rounds – the only school to have all of its teams reach that level. No teams lost in elimination; however, some were eliminated by coach’s choice to avoid debating each other.

In varsity, the team of senior Luke Juday of Chesapeake, Va., and junior Dayne Batten of Cary, N.C., finished first, with the team of junior Harrison Ealey of Brecksville, Ohio, and junior Alex Pepper of Centreville, Va., in second. The teams of sophomore Kirby Gowen of Livermore, Calif., and junior Brittany Cobb of West Patterson, N.J., and juniors Kelsey Winther of Modesto, Calif., and Dan Hanson of Danville, N.H., finished third and fifth respectively.

In novice, the team of freshmen Marc Davis of Atwater, Calif., and Nate Cowling of Canton, Ohio, finished first; the team of freshmen Kate Nagatani of San Diego, Calif., and Allison Spaulding of Spencerport, N.Y., finished second; and the team of freshman Rebekah Kintzing of Clifton, Va., and sophomore Jayni Juedes of Miladore, Wis., finished third.

Grove City speakers also topped the individual rankings. In varsity, Gowen won first overall, Juday third and Ealey sixth. In novice, Kintzing and Davis won first and second overall with Nagatani finishing fourth and Cowling eighth.

Earlier, the team won first place overall in the small school division sweepstakes competition at the Berea College/University of Cumberlands Tournament Swing Oct. 23 and 24 in Kentucky. Of seven teams entered, four reached elimination rounds, and several students won speaker awards.

Hanson and Winther took first place after “closing out” finals with Juday and Batten. “Closing out” occurs when two teams from the same school reach finals. When that happens, Grove City teams do not debate each other in order to foster team unity.

Juday and Batten finished second as a team and also finished first and second in speaker awards respectively. Ealey and Pepper took fifth place. Pepper and sophomore James VanEerden of Stokesdale, N.C., won speaker awards as well. In novice, Davis and Cowley finished third place and each won a speaker award.

In its first tournament of the year Sept. 25 and 26 at Western Kentucky University, Grove City took eight debate teams, six varsity and two novice. Half of the squad reached elimination rounds and in the novice division, Grove City teams closed out finals.

In novice, Davis and Cowley finished in first place and were also the first- and second-ranked speakers in their division. Nagatani and Spaulding finished in second place.

In varsity, Juday and Batten took second place and Ealey and Pepper took third place.

Dr. Steven Jones, associate professor of sociology, is adviser and coach. Drs. Jason Edwards, associate professor of education and humanities, and Andrew Harvey, associate professor of English, also assist with coaching. The team is back in action at Bowling Green State University on Nov. 20 and 21.

(Photo courtesy of Rebekah Kintzing)