Monmouth University Debate won three team and individual speaking awards in a collegiate debate tournament hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma, Nov. 1-3. The tournament included debate teams from approximately 15 other colleges, including the University of Iowa, the University of Kansas, Baylor University, University of Texas-San Antonio, Missouri State, and Kansas State. This was Monmouth's third tournament of the fall semester with the next competition taking place in early December.

The 2024-25 American Debate Association topic is, "Resolved: The United States Federal Government should adopt a clean energy policy for decarbonization in the United States, including a market-based instrument." The tournament featured two debate rounds on Friday and four rounds on Saturday, with each round lasting two hours. Teams who qualified for the playoff round debated on Sunday.

Debaters Isabella Liverani and Shannon Bonsignore won a team award for making it into the playoffs before losing a close decision (2-1) in the semi-final round. Monmouth also had two debaters win top five speaking awards at the tournament: Mariah Sower took a third place speaking award and her partner Lillian Pardey received the fourth place speaking award in the novice division.

Additionally, Monmouth had eight debaters compete and win, including Michael Makfinsky and Patrick Carbone in the upper division, as well as Aiden Fornicola and William Hohn, Isabella Liverani and Shannon Bonsignore, and Pardey and Sower.

"A special thanks to our team captains Mariami Ramirez-Tsuladze and Mike Makfinsky who worked hard coaching debaters in preparation for the tournament," said Joe Patten, Ph.D., professor of in the Department of Political Science and Sociology and advisor to the Debate Team. "And thank you to Monmouth debate alumna Maria Ortega Lopez (who was just accepted into Pace Law School - congratulations Maria!) for helping coach and judge at the tournament."

For more information about the debate team, contact Patten at [email protected].