February 19, 2013

Lewis & Clark debate concludes regular season with win at Whitman

The Lewis & Clark parliamentary debate team completed its regular season in style, as Emily Halter (CAS ’14) and Joe Hykan (CAS ’13) and were victorious at the Dean McSloy Invitational, held on the campus of Whitman College February 15-16.

The Lewis & Clark parliamentary debate team completed its regular season in style, as Emily Halter (CAS ’14) and Joe Hykan (CAS ’13) and were victorious at the Dean McSloy Invitational, held on the campus of Whitman College February 15-16.

The McSloy Invitational is one of the last chances debate teams have to sharpen their skills before nationals competition begins in March. The tournament attracted 48 teams from across the Pacific Northwest and also from California, Texas and Illinois. The field was not only diverse but also talented, as 26 of the top 50 teams in the nation competed at the tournament.

Halter and Hykan won seven straight debates in the preliminary rounds and early elimination rounds to advance to the final. They faced the University of Oregon on the topic of EPA regulation of carbon dioxide emissions. It was a close, intense debate, but Lewis & Clark prevailed on a 2-1 decision of the judges. Halter was also named the top individual debater at the tournament, duplicating the same feat from her most previous tournament at Western Washington.

Halter and Hykan became one of only four teams in the nation to win two tournaments this season. This accomplishment is made more impressive by the fact that they have only debated together during the spring semester.

The good news for the Pioneers did not end with Halter and Hykan. The team of Benjamin Mann (CAS ’14) and McKay Campbell (CAS ’14) as well as the team of Emily Tribble (CAS ’15) and Brigitte Tripp (CAS ’16) each advanced to elimination rounds at the McSloy Invitational and earned bids to compete at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence. They will join Halter and Hykan at the tournament, marking the first time since 2007 that Lewis & Clark has qualified three teams to the prestigious national championship tournament.

While the regular season has concluded for the parliamentary debate team, the Lewis & Clark individual events team finishes its regular season this Friday, February 22 at the Northwest national qualifier. Mann and Tyler Janzen (CAS ’13) have already qualified events for individual events national competition, but they and their teammates will attempt to qualify additional events with strong performances. The qualifier will be held on the Lewis & Clark campus.