Kansas State Debate

2011-04-10T17:25:00.001-07:00

2011 CEDA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

2011-03-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

BETH MENDENHALL AND DEREK ZEIGLER, KSU DEBATE 2011 CEDA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Read the Official Press Release

Splitting the team for the swings

2011-01-02T07:51:00.001-08:00

The team hits the road again this week for the traditional holiday break "swings". Swing means you attend two back to back debate tournaments, each tournament is 3 days long with 12 hours of debate each day, swings are indeed debate marathons.

One team is headed to LA today for a tournament at USC followed by a tournament at Cal State Fullerton while 5 additional teams are headed to Texas for a tournament at UNT followed by another tournament at UTD.

Follow the team's progress and round by round results on Twitter and Facebook.

GO STATE.

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KSU Maintains top 25 Standing

2010-10-13T05:55:00.000-07:00

The team of Beth Mendenhall & Derek Zeigler advanced from 16 to 15 in this months coaches poll. K-State as a whole remains 12th.

Team (First Place Votes) – Points Per Eligible Ballot (Previous Position)

1. Harvard JP (13) - 24.43 (2)
2. Cal-Berkeley BP (2) - 23.65 (1)
3. Emory IW (7) - 23.45 (4)
4. Northwestern FS - 22.33 (3)
5. Oklahoma GW - 20.71 (21)
6. Kansas KQ - 19.20 (6)
7. Michigan LZ - 18.33 (9)
8. Northwestern BK - 18.23 (5)
9. Emory GJ - 16.52 (10)
10. Wake CM - 15.09 (7)
11. Georgia LL - 14.85 (11)
12. Harvard KT - 14.76 (8/NR)
13. Georgia State GS - 11.76 (NR)
14. Emory KS - 9.24 (14)
15. Kansas State MZ - 8.14 (16)
16. Towson CK - 7.95 (NR)
17. Samford BG - 7.55 (23)
18. Gonzaga KM - 7.15 (13)
19. Georgetown DM - 6.81 (15)
20. Michigan State GK - 6.79 (12)
21. Texas-Dallas BR - 5.90 (19)
22. Missouri State FR - 4.95 (17)
23. Baylor FK - 4.00 (NR)
24. Vanderbilt BN - 2.50 (NR)
25. Emory GN - 1.95 (NR)

Dropped out: No. 18 Idaho State IJ, No. 20 CSU Fullerton CT, No. 22 Kentucky GG, No. 24 Harvard BB, No. 25 Northwestern GL

Also receiving votes: Baylor CM, CSU Fullerton CT, Harvard BB, Idaho State IJ, Kansas KP, Kentucky GG, Texas-San Antonio LM, Towson EM, Trinity BG, Trinity MM

Top 25 Schools (by total points to that school per eligible ballot):

1. Emory - 51.16
2. Harvard - 40.90
3. Northwestern - 40.56
4. Cal-Berkeley - 23.65
5. Oklahoma - 20.71
6. Kansas - 19.85
7. Michigan - 18.33
8. Wake - 15.09
9. Georgia - 14.85
10. Georgia State - 11.76
11. Towson - 8.19
12. Kansas State - 8.14
13. Samford - 7.55
14. Gonzaga - 7.15
15. Georgetown - 6.81
16. Michigan State - 6.79
17. Texas-Dallas - 5.90
18. Missouri State - 4.95
19. Baylor - 4.18
20. Vanderbilt - 2.50
21. Texas-San Antonio - 1.32
22. Idaho State - 0.82
23. CSU Fullerton - 0.82
24. Trinity - 0.73
25. Kentucky - 0.62

Debate Team Featured in KSU News Release

2010-10-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010

DEBATE TEAM GOES GREEN, ACHIEVES FIRST AT GONZAGA

MANHATTAN -- The Kansas State University debate team swept the recent Gonzaga tournament. It was the team's best tournament performance since at least 1985, according to Justin Green, K-State debate team director.

The pairing of Derek Ziegler, junior in political science and philosophy, Manhattan, and Beth Mendenhall, senior in political science and philosophy, Olathe, went 10-0 to earn first place in the tournament, first seed and the top speaker award.

"We have dubbed it the trifecta: the top seed, top speaker and winning the tournament. It is an extreme rarity for a school to do," said Green, who is an instructor of communication studies, theater and dance.

Mendenhall and Ziegler put in at least 30 hours of practice on top of jobs and school in the weeks prior to the tournament.

Some of the preparation was time spent learning a new electronic system for debate. The system, called Synergy, is more convenient for the debaters and is eco-friendly.

"Overall, it will save boxes and boxes of paper," Mendenhall said.

Each team of two used approximately 6,000 pages of evidence in the past. K-State has 11 teams of two, which means the team is saving more than 66,000 pieces of paper.

The shift from paper to electronic did cause some concerns.

"It was very stressful to make the transition but we did a lot of preparation," Mendenhall said. "There is always that fear of a blank screen, but Derek's ability to deal with computer issues is a big factor that helps."

The team took time this summer to learn and understand the software to be able to solve problems that may come up.

"It's paying off now because we don't have to fight with the technology as much," Ziegler said.

It also saves the team airfare, as the boxes of evidence they used to bring to tournaments weighed 300 pounds or more.

"We have found that the cost savings of going paperless with airfare, copier contracts and paper purchases have off-set the necessary technology that we needed to buy," Green added. "In future years this will mean that we will save money because we will already have the technology needed."

The debate team is looking forward to more successful tournaments this season. "This success was a testament to the overall work ethic and effort of this squad," Green said. "We are always looking for more debaters."

The K-State debate team has 22 members and a coaching staff of five.

"Debate is valuable because it provides a forum where individuals can hone their speaking and critical thinking skills in an environment that's very accepting of all forms of thought," Ziegler said. "Debate has been less of a hobby I do, and more of a supplement to my overall collegiate experience. I think that supplemental knowledge will serve me well into the future."

Students with experience in debate are encouraged to join the team. For more information, contact Green at 785-532-6863 or jmgreen@k-state.edu, or stop by 007 Kedzie Hall for more information.

Kansas State University • Manhattan, KS • 66506 • 785-532-6011

October 4, 2010

Kansas State Ranked in Coaches Poll

2010-10-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

K-State MZ is ranked 16th best two person team in the nation and the Kansas State Debate Team is ranked the 12th best team to debate for in America! GO STATE!

1. Cal-Berkeley BP (18) – 25.00
2. Harvard JP – 23.56
3. Northwestern FS – 23.25
4. Emory IW – 21.71
5. Northwestern BK – 20.50
6. Kansas KQ – 19.71
7. Wake Forest CM – 18.56
8. Harvard KR – 18.39
9. Michigan LZ – 15.24
10. Emory GJ – 13.39
11. Georgia LL – 13.38
12. Michigan State GK – 12.81
13. Gonzaga KM – 12.06 (H/L 12.00)
14. Emory KS – 12.06 (H/L 11.94)
15. Georgetown DM – 11.76
16. Kansas State MZ – 11.56
17. Missouri State FR – 9.22
18. Idaho State IJ – 6.83
19. Texas-Dallas BR – 5.29
20. CSU Fullerton CT – 5.22
21. Oklahoma GW – 4.06
22. Kentucky GG – 3.41
23. Samford BG – 2.53
24. Harvard BB – 2.39
25. Northwestern GL – 2.18

Also receiving votes: Baylor CM, Cornell HK, Emory GN, Georgia State GS, Kansas KP, Liberty FH, Northwestern BW, Texas CM, Towson EM, Trinity MM

Top 25 Schools (by total points to that school per eligible ballot):

1. Emory – 47.55
2. Northwestern – 46.11
3. Harvard – 44.34
4. Cal-Berkeley – 25
5. Kansas – 20.24
6. Wake Forest – 18.56
7. Michigan – 15.24
8. Georgia – 13.38
9. Michigan State – 12.81
10. Gonzaga – 12.06
11. Georgetown – 11.76
12. Kansas State – 11.56
13. Missouri State – 9.22
14. Idaho State – 6.83
15. Texas-Dallas – 5.29
16. CSU Fullerton – 5.22
17. Oklahoma – 4.06
18. Kentucky – 3.41
19. Samford – 2.53
20. Georgia State – 1.89
21. Towson – 1.88
22. Trinity – 1.56
23. Liberty – 1.22
24. Baylor – 1.22
25. Texas – 0.56

Thanks to Arizona State, Cal Berkeley, Georgetown, Georgia, Gonzaga, James Madison, Kansas, Kentucky, Mary Washington, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Samford, Texas-Dallas, Towson, UMKC, Weber State, and Whitman for voting.

Frosh Debut @ Wichita State This Weekend

2010-09-22T18:03:00.001-07:00

Kansas State will travel six two person debate teams to Wichita this weekend. This tournament marks the debut of new frosh on the team including: Michael Washburn, Bonnie Meyers, and Logan Papon. In addition, several sophomore and junior teams one senior team who took the first two weekends of the season off to focus on graduate school applications will make their fall 2010 debut at Wichita this weekend. Follow us on twitter for updates as the tournament progresses.

GO STATE!

K-State Top 20 at Georgia State Tournament

2010-09-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

KSU Attended the largest season opener in the nation this past weekend. After finishing as one of only 10 undefeated teams day one with another victory over Northwestern and a win vs. Harvard the competition ramped up on Day 2. KSU MZ lose two of the remaining preliminary debates and advanced as the 20th seed to elimination rounds where they lost a tough debate to Emory.

The Wildcats did not come home defeated. They came home more committed than ever to increasing their work effort to perform better in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

Wildcats Undefeated to Start Season!

2010-09-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

Kansas State attended the Gonzaga University Jesuit Invitational Season Opener this weekend. This outing was the team's first after switching to debating on a "paperless" platform and proved highly successful. Diligent work effort before the season began paid off for seniors Beth Mendenhall and Derek Zeigler. In a field of 46 teams representing several schools such as Texas, Baylor, Cal Berkeley, Whitman College, Northwestern, Gonzaga and more (see comprehensive list here) KSU MZ won all six preliminary debates, and advanced to elimination rounds as the number one seed. MZ faced off with Wyoming in Octofinals, winning on a 3-0; followed by defeating the University of Texas on a 2-1 in quarterfinals; advancing over Northwestern on a 2-1 decision in semifinals ultimately defeating Idaho State University on a resounding 3-0 in the final round. Beth Mendenhall of Kansas State was named the top speaker at the tournament. Those of us in 007 Kedzie have coined this the "Trifecta", Beth as top speaker, clearing as top seed, and winning the tournament.

First Seed at Emporia

2009-10-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Mendenhall & Zeigler were the top ranked seed at the Emporia tournament this weekend, without losing a single ballot in prelims. The open team of Ashley Denney & Caitlin Reynolds also cleared to elimination rounds as the 10th seed losing to the University of Texas at Dallas in the Octofinal Debate.

MZ defeated (narrowly), North Texas in the Octofinal, followed by a resounding victory over OU in the Quarter Finals before moving on to a clean win in Semifinals over the same team that had defeated Denney & Reynolds in the Octofinals. The only debate all weekend MZ lost was the final round to Wichita State. Beth & Derek both agreed to come back to Emporia next year to seal the deal.

Other awards of note, Maggie Weller & Steven Seib were the 3rd & 4th speakers respectively in the Junior Varsity division. There is a bright future for them in college debate for sure!

KSU Ranked in National Coaches Poll

2009-10-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

Beth Mendenhall & Derek Zeigler have broken into the top 25 in the country- GO CATS - the October 17 Coaches poll is listed here:
1. Emory IW (20) -- 24.65 (3)
2. Michigan State LW (3) -- 23.05 (9)
3. Northwestern FS (1) -- 22.65 (2)
4. California BP -- 22.50 (4)
5. UT Dallas BR -- 21.04 (1)
6. Whitman CS -- 19.35 (7)
7. West Georgia BS -- 18.70 (5)
8. Harvard JP -- 18.54 (6)
9. Kansas KQ -- 15.61 (19)
10. Wake Forest MS -- 15.18 (8)
11. Oklahoma GW -- 15.13 (12)
12. Mary Washington KS -- 14.61 (16)
13. California BJ -- 12.61 (13)
14. Georgia CL -- 12.43 (11)
15. Emory GJ -- 11.09 (17)
16. Kansas KS -- 7.91 (14)
17. Harvard KR -- 6.71 (20)
18. Baylor CM -- 6.17 (10)
19. Idaho State JJ -- 6.08 (18)
20. Michigan LZ -- 4.04 (NR)
21. Kansas State MZ -- 3.75 (NR)
22. Southern California HL -- 3.13 (25)
23. UT San Antonio MT -- 2.71 (NR)
24. Gonzaga CJ -- 1.91 (22)
25. Vanderbilt BN -- 1.88 (NR)

Dropped out: No. 15 Missouri State FK, No. 21 Towson JM, No. 23 Emory NS, No. 24 Trinity BH

As a squad, KSU's entire debate team is currently ranked 17th- GO CATS!
Top 25 Schools (by total points to that school per eligible ballot):

1. Emory -- 36.12
2. California -- 36.07
3. Harvard -- 25.25
4. Northwestern -- 23.86
5. Kansas -- 23.52
6. Michigan State -- 23.05
7. UT Dallas -- 21.04
8. Whitman -- 19.35
9. West Georgia -- 18.70
10. Wake Forest -- 16.68
11. Oklahoma -- 15.13
12. Mary Washington -- 14.61
13. Georgia -- 12.43
14. Baylor -- 6.17
15. Idaho State -- 6.08
16. Michigan -- 4.04
17. Kansas State -- 3.75
18. Southern California -- 3.13
19. UT San Antonio -- 2.71
20. Gonzaga -- 1.91
21. Vanderbilt -- 1.88
22. Iowa -- 1.83
23. Samford -- 1.79
24. Towson -- 1.52
25. Missouri State -- 1.04

Kentucky Success

2009-10-06T16:04:00.001-07:00

K-State had its best showing in almost a decade at the Kentucky tournament this weekend. 4 teams attended the tournament, Caitlin Reynolds & Ashley Denney made their national circuit debut. They came home feeling as if maybe they needed to refocus their efforts. The Team of Heather Woods & Blake Hallinan, fresh off their Semifinals appearance at the University of Northern Iowa two weeks ago felt the heat of national competition finishing with a 3-4 record. The team of Brett Farmer & Gloria Funcheon having reset their aff strategy going into the weekend posted their first winning record of the season finishing 4-3. Most exciting of all, the Team of Beth Mendenhall & Derek Zeigler not only posted a 5-2 winning record in prelims, but beat Harvard in the first out round only to lose to Northwestern in the second outround.

This achievement is huge, given that the Kentucky tournament is widely known as one of the most difficult in the season, so difficult in fact that KSU had steered away from the tournament for the last several years. Making it this far at the Kentucky tournament speaks volumes about the potential for the team this season.

Stay tuned for more news from this coming weekend at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Emporia - Trophies Galore

2008-10-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

With travel time of only 50 minutes, the KSU debate team performed at the Emporia Tournament with a home-field advantage. Winning 3rd place in both JV and Varsity, the squad continued success throughout the mid-west region.

Gloria Funcheon and Nikki Marcotte were in the semifinals of Junior Varsity. Gloria was also the 6th speaker. Gloria has won a speaker award at every tournament she attended this year....kudos.

John Grice and Jordan Hanson lost on a 2-1 decision in a Varsity octofinals debate against the University of Central Oklahoma. The dissenting judge vosciferously pronounced the other two judges as idiotic decision-makers in that particular debate. More importantly, they understood that they had the ability to compete against even the best.

Beth Mendenhall and Derek Ziegler advanced all the way to the semifinals of Varsity. On their way they defeated teams from North Texas and Wichita State before losing to a very successful 5th year senior. Beth was also recognized as the 5th overall individual speaker at the tournament in Varsity.

KCKCC tournament propells debate team to 2nd IN THE COUNTRY!!!

2008-10-15T12:22:00.001-07:00

Two dramatic firsts happened at the Kansas City Kansas Community College Tournament:
1 - 5 different Varsity teams have advanced to elimination rounds in the 2008-9 season - this is the first time that KSU has done this in over 10 years.
2 - a First Place Varsity Trophy - The team of Beth Mendenhall and Derek Ziegler went 6-0 in the preliminary rounds and advanced in all four of their elimination rounds without losing a ballot. Quite an impressive weekend. Derek Ziegler was also the 8th speaker and Beth was the 2nd overall speaker.

All 5 different teams travelling won awards this weekend. The results from the other four are below.

-The team of Gloria Funcheon and Kevin Walbridge finished in 2nd place in the Junior Varsity division. Gloria Funcheon was also the second speaker in the JV division.
-The team of Heather Woods and Diante Calhoun did not advance to elimination rounds, but the judges obviously liked the way they sounded. Heather was the 10th speaker and Diante was the 3rd speaker in the Varsity division.
-The team of Jordan Hanson and John Grice advanced to the elimination rounds where they lost in the octofinals on a tough 2-1 decision to Oklahoma in the Varsity division.
-Special kudos go to the team of Ashley Denney and Caitlin Reynolds who advanced to the elimination rounds of the Varsity division in only their second Varsity decision.

The result of the season's hard work was a #2 overall ranking in the nation-wide Cross Examination Debate Associaion.

What happens in Vegas is shared for all to hear

2008-10-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

The Kansas State Debate Team had great success in Vegas. No need for shame or for forgetting. No gambles were needed, our debaters just had good hands to start with.

The team of Ashley Denney and Caitlin Reynolds continued their dominance in the Junior Varsity division finishing in 2nd place. After a 5-2 preliminary performance, sheer determination brought them to a finals decision after victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals on 3-0 decisions. Ashley and Caitlin also attained top ten speaker award honors.

The team of Rafi Ahmadullah and Brett Farmer made it to elimination rounds in the open division for the second time this year in as many tournaments. They lost a close debate to KU and guaranteed retribution later in the year.

Beth Mendenhall and Derek Ziegler were invited to participate in the Las Vegas Round Robin tournament prior to the invitational. This was quite an honor to be invited. Although the team record could use improvement, Beth earned 4th overall individual speaker honors.....

Wichita - The Hardware Keeps Coming

2008-10-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats cleared teams in all three divisions for the second weekend in a row.

Performing their way to success... The team of Chalmere "Diante" Calhoun and Heather Woods opened up their year going 5-2 and winning their first elimination debate before losing narrowly to a quality team from Missouri State. Running a style of argument for the first time - kudos to Heather in breaking at her first Varsity tournament and to Diante for using his silver tongue once again to victory.

The team of Gloria Funcheon (Soph) and Andy Lee (Frosh) showed they don't belong in the JV division very much longer. The team had worked really hard before this tournament; their practice speeches clearly paid off. Andy Lee was the 10th speaker and Gloria Funcheon was the 5th speaker.

We aren't afraid.....The Novice team of Austin Graham and Scott Crim continued their domination. After not losing in the prelims with a perfect 7-0 record, the team lost a close debate in the Semifinals against Johnson County. Austin's long hours in the squad room were also apparent with his 5th place speaker award.

Special shout-outs go to Nikki Marcott and Kevin Walbridge who in their first tournament rebounded from an 0-4 start to win their last three debates. The team of Ashley Denney and Caitlin Reynolds also competed in their first Varsity tournament. It was certainly a learning experience - rather than get down about it - they were able to stay positive and win their last two debates.

Opening Weekend of Fall 2008 - GREAT SUCCESS

2008-10-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

After a one-week intensive pre-season workshop and numerous practices, the KSU debate team made the Purple and White Nation proud at our opening weekend. The squad was split between the University of Northern Iowa and Georgia State University. Although the Georgia State crew faced some very tough opponents, they held in there own winning 7 of 16 debates.

The Wildcats created a Waterloo for their opponents. The Novice team of Scott Crim and Austin Graham took 2nd in their first college tournament. The JV team of Caitlin Reynolds and Ashley Denney finished in 2nd place thanks to some help to Gloria Funcheon and Andy Lee who were walked over in the quarterfinals. The Varsity Team of Rafi Ahmadullah and Brett Farmer not only broke in open but won their first out-round. 7 teams went - 5 teams broke.

There were a multitude of individual speaker awards as well.
1st JV - Ashley Denney
2nd JV - Caitlin Reynolds
2nd Novice - Austin Graham
3rd Novice - Scott Crim
5th Varsity - Brett Farmer
6th JV - Heather Woods
10th Varsity - Rafi Ahmadullah

KSU Baseball Team says Thanks to Debate

2008-04-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

During the 5th Inning of the April 8th baseball game the Baseball Team paid homage to KSU debate. The P.A. announcer asked for a round of applause after the 5th inning. The recognition did not fall on deaf ears. In fact, the debate team was so dumbfounded that only two members were able to stand up during the applause.

Despite the cold weather spirits were high for the game - the aromatic coffee helped.

Front Row: (Right to left) George Hodges, David Cohen, Brett Farmer, Rafi Ahmadullah (hidden by Brett)
Back Row: Justin Green, Max Archer, James Thomas, De-Nay-Nay (super fan), Chelsea Good, and John Grice

Special Thanks to photographer and spiritual provider Ryan Ringer.

Finishing the season in syle at the NDT

2008-04-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

The team of Kyle Zarazan and Beth Mendenhall finished the season with a very respectable showing at the National Debate Tournament. After 6 rounds the team was 3-3 with hopes of attending the elimination rounds - a feat KSU had not accomplished since before the CEDA/NDT split in the 80's. With an overwhelming positive attitude and a coaching staff that included our behind the scene coach Nick Landsman-Roos, super alum Josh Westmoreland, and usual suspects of David Magariel, Max Archer, and Justin Green, the all business attitude during the competition made the experience serve as a role-model for future years of the NDT.

KSU Breaks two teams at CEDA!!!!

2008-04-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

For the first time in many, many years (in fact it was so long ago, we don't have record - any alums can help us out?), Kansas State had two teams reach the elimination rounds at CEDA Nationals!!!!!

Jordan Hanson (sophomore) and Derek Ziegler (frosh) advanced to the quads where they won a debate against Minnesotta on a 2-1 decision before losing a very close 2-1 debate to the top seed of the tournament.

Beth Mendenhall (sophomore) and Kyle Zarazan (senior) advanced immediately to the triple-octofinals where they lost on a narrow 2-1 decision to Idaho State.

Senior Kara Thiele concluded her college career with a strong showing day 1 (3-1 record).

The war room during the quads signified the teamwork that imbodies KSU success.

Wildcats Paint Johnson County Purple

2008-04-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Kansas State debate team forced loggers to increase their production after the Wildcats brought home so many trophies at the Johnson County - National Junior and Novice Champions. This is the longest consecutive running JV/Novice Nationals in the tournament.

The team of Diante Calhoun and Derek Ziegler took the tournament by like a Kansas storm out of no where. Arguing for a personal, critical, individual perspective they caught their opponents off-guard and created awe in their judges all the way to the FINALS. This team was the second KSU team to finish second at a JV Nationals.

The team of Ryan Bennett and Chelsea Good finished off their outstanding novice careers by not losing a ballot until the FINALS - good for a 2nd place finish. After starting the year 0-6, Chelsea established herself as perhaps the premiere novice debater in the country. Congrats to her for her hard work. Her partner Ryan will be back next year and will be eligible to make a run again for the Novice National Championship.

Personal honors were also brought home. Beth Mendenhall and Chelsea Good were BOTH the TOP SPEAKERS in their Divisions!!!!!! This was the first time this happened all year. Ryan Bennett and Derek Ziegler were also 4th in each of their divisions!!! This was Ryan's first award in college.

Justin Green was also recognized as the JV/Novice Coach of the Year. The student comments about the award reflected the family of KSU Debate.

NDT Bound!!!!!!!

2008-03-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

On Monday March 12th, we found out that KSU is invited to the National Debate Tournament. The team of Kyle Zarazan, senior, and Beth Mendenhall, sophomore, will represent the University on account of their strong performance throughout the year. Winning more than half of their debates against teams going to the National Debate Tournament helped ensure that the team was chosen as an at-large invitee to the tournament. For Kyle, this is the second year in a row that he has attended and the first in what is hopefully many for Beth. This team is a testiment of what can happen two debaters who work hard with a squad of great support behind them. Good luck at Fullerton!!!!

Wildcats finish 2nd at JV Naitonals!!!!

2008-03-04T07:55:00.000-08:00

The Debate team had an outstanding tournament at the JV/Novice Nationals Tournament hosted in Baltimore, MD. The wildcats fielded 6 teams at the tournament - 4 of them made it to elimination rounds. The team of George Hodges and Heather Woods lost in the double octo-finals of Junior Varsity. The teams of Chelsea Good and Ryan Bennett (Novice) and John Grice and Derek Ziegler (JV) lost a debate in the octo-finals. The team of Beth Mendenhall and Jordan Hanson took the 2nd place overall trophy home in the JV division!!!! This was the best finish at the tournament in 7 years.

Of the top 40 speakers at the tournament - KSU had 6: John Grice 16th Speaker JV, Heather Woods 15th Speaker JV, Derek Ziegler 13th Speaker JV, Chelsea Good 13th Speaker Novice, Jordan Hanson 12th Speaker JV, Beth Mendenhall 9th Speaker JV.

Special recognition should go to Megan Harlow and Nick Lansman-Roos who grinded the midnight oil to ensure that our teams were ready to go on Monday morning.

Varsity Top Speaker Award at North Texas

2008-02-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

Sophomore Beth Mendenhall from Saint Thomas Acquinas blistered the competition at the North Texas debate tournament and earned TOP VARSITY SPEAKER honors. After giving a practice speech a week for the entire Fall semester, Beth showed that hard work and talent can pay off. With a prelim record of 5-2 and multiple compliments from judges, Beth and the entire Kansas State debate team was overcome with pride at the collection of her award.

Announcing the MCCOLLUM SCHOLARSHIP

2008-02-06T20:17:00.001-08:00

The family of former national champion Kansas State Debater Rich McCollum has announced its support for a 100% scholarship to a student from Kansas who needs financial assistance. The McCollum family noted that they wished to give back to the debate community who has given so much to them. After coming from rural Kansas, Rich attributes debate to help him have a fine career in law. The Wildcat family is very appreciative of this gift.

K-State Debate Press

2007-10-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

Check out K-State debate in the News:

KSU Press Release

K-STATE RANKED 3RD IN NATION!

2007-10-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Teams in Nation!

1. Binghamton
2. Kansas (Univ. of)

3. Kansas State

4. U.S. Military Academy
5. Cornell University
6. Wichita State
7. Southern California
8. Missouri-Kansas City
9. Gonzaga
10. Miami

Cats in Vegas Baby!

2007-10-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

Kansas State took one team to Las Vegas this last weekend for the first annual Vegas Classic debate tournament. Beth Mendenhall & Kyle Zarazan were accompanied by coaches Sarah & Megan on this trip.

The tournament started out great, Beth & Kyle were 3-1 on the first day beating teams that we love to beat like Wichita, Baylor & Emory. Comments on the first day included one judge telling the Cats that Kyle's 2AC was exactly how he would envision the perfect 2AC. Early on the second day, the Judge from our round 4 win over Emory went out of his way to find the KSU coaches and rave about what a good team Kyle & Beth were. Sunday was harder than Saturday as we debated the top of the bracket. Defeating yet another Emory team in the morning propelled us to debate the top seed & fellow Big 12 team Baylor. While we were not victorious in this debate, the Judge did indicate that he really enjoyed the debate. After this loss we had a hard time recovering, losing the next debate to Macalester.

At the end of the day, in the double octafinal debate, we met Vermont, both Megan & Sarah's Alma Mater. Megan was filled with intense desire to win coaching with incredible vigor. With everyone pumped going into the debate, Kyle & Beth held true to their mission solidly defeating the Catamounts on a 3-0 decision.

The next morning we were affirmative against arch rival KU and while one Judge said this was the best debate he had seen in five years, all three judges agreed that our time competing in Vegas was over. So, sadly we lost to KU.

Our loss to KU was softened by speaker awards. Kyle finished 15th in a field of 110 and Beth finished 8th. So, all in all it was a VERY successful weekend.

With 4 hours left after the awards ceremony before our flight left we checked out the Bellagio where we all realized that we are far better debaters than gamblers.

1st Place in JV, 2nd Place in Novice and 3rd in Varsity at Missouri State!

2007-10-01T15:26:00.000-07:00

Kansas State took 7.5 teams to compete at Missouri State University in 3 divisions of Policy Debate.

The Novice Team, Chelsea Good and Ian Stinson rebounded from their experience at UNI two weeks ago by clearing to elimination rounds with an undefeated 6-0 record in preliminary rounds. They won their semifinal debate on a 3-0 decision and unfortunately were defeated in the final round. However, an undefeated preliminary record is an accomplishment in and of itself and the Wildcats could not be more proud of the amazing turn-around this two person team has made.

In the Junior Division, Three K-State teams cleared to elimination rounds. After winning only one debate two weeks ago, Nikki Marcotte & Caitlin Reynolds came out of the gate looking for revenge- which they got as they advanced to elimination rounds with a 5-2 record. They won their partial octafinal debate and advanced to the quarterfinal debate where they unfortunately met another K-State team, Molly McGuire and John Grice who cleared with a 6-1 record as the top seeded team at the tournament. The third K-State team to clear in JV was comprised of Diante Calhoun & Alexis Robinson. Alexis stepped in after a break of almost a year to fill in for George who was unable to compete this weekend because of an injury. After deciding that they were going to debate together three days before the tournament, Diante & Alexis took command in preliminary rounds clearing with a 5-2 record and winning their partial octafinal debate. Diante & Alexis forged forward into the quarterfinal round where they lost a well fought debate. Nothing could stop Molly and John who stepped up in the Semifinals to beat an OU team on a 3-0 decision. Advancing to the finals, Molly & John again defeated an OU team on a 2-1 decision to be named the JV Champions of the tournament. It always feels good to win debates against this Big 12 rival school. All in all the Wildcats were 6-3 against the Sooners this weekend!

In Varsity, three K-State teams competed with two advancing to elimination rounds. Kara Thiele & Tristan Tafolla advanced to elimination rounds for the first time in their Varsity Collegiate debate careers. Although they lost in the partial octafinal debate they intend to clear at another tournament in our district so they may compete at the Wake Forest tournament in November. Traditionally known as the National Championship of the first semester, Wake Forest is a varsity only tournament and in order for a school to enter multiple teams each team must have advanced to elimination rounds at two other tournaments. Tristan & Kara are halfway there!

In other Varsity news, Jordan Hansen & Derek Ziegler advanced to elimination rounds as the 6th seed with a 5-2 record. They narrowly won their partial octafinal debate on a 2-1 decision and advanced to quarterfinals where they were victorious over a Missouri State team on a 3-0 decision. Derek & Jordan then competed in the semifinal debate where they were unfortunately defeated by a team from the University of Kansas. Derek & Jordan have however vowed to obtain revenge against KU in the future.

While team awards are the most important, there were several individual speaker awards handed out to KSU debaters this weekend:

In Novice, Chelsi was 9th and Ian was 8th!
In JV, Diante was 8th and John was the Top Speaker!
In Varsity Jordan narrowly missed the top 10 coming in as the 13th Speaker!

All in all, this was an amazing weekend for the Wildcats.

Squad record before this weekend: 36-64 36%
Squad record at Missouri State: 44-25 68%
Squad record after this weekend: 80-89 47%

For the Purple and the White!

2007-2008 Season Kicks Off

2007-09-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

K-State Debate started the season this past weekend at the Universty of Northern Iowa. I the largest ever Kansas State Contingent to travel to a debate tournament, 12 teams and 7 coaches made the trek to Waterloo/Cedar Falls Iowa to compete in this mid west season opener. The logistics of travel with 31 people is definitely difficult but went off without any major snags this weekend.

1 team entered in the novice division. Chelsea and Ian, both juniors at KSU decided that with no prior debate experience they would join the debate team. They had two practice debates prior to the tournament and attended several training sessions. At KSU we promote and encourage those with no prior debte experience of any kind to join our team as novices. Little did the coaches know that every other school at the tournament interpreted novice to mean those with 4 years of LD debate experience. Ian and Chelsea had a tough weekend, but returned home committed to continuing their mission to debate. More training will ensue before this team heads out to Missouri State for our next tournament.

6 Teams entered in the JV division, 4 of which were competing at their first EVER college debate tournament. For some, the road was rough, in the end two teams, John Grice & Molly McGuire along with Drew Cummings & Heather Woods cleared to elimination rounds. For Molly, a first year debater who debated in Wisconsin in high school, this was the first time she had ever made it t elimination rounds ad she was very excited to be 5-3. John was the 3rd speaker in the division. Heather and Drew were novice debaters last year, in fact Heather only competed at 4 tournaments last year. In their first ever JV showing they were 5-3 and cleared. Drew was the 5th speaker in JV. Both teams advanced without debating from the partial octofinal round to the quarterfinal round.

5 teams were entered in the Varsity (Open) division. 4 of these teams learned that there is more work to be done in order to compete successfully in this division. One team, Kyle Zarazan and Beth Mendenhall were 6-2 in prelims and cleared as the 6th seed. Kyle & Beth advanced without debating in the partial double octafinals to the octafinals. In Octa's they defeated Missouri State on a 2-1 decision. In the quarterfinal round they debated Wichita state and lost on a 3-0. In the decision, two of the judges gave our team a nice pick-me-up when they indicated that Kyle's 2AC was "flawless" ad that they were glad to have brought their younger debaters to watch this particular debate because it was a perfect model for instructing younger 2AC's. Kyle & Beth were also just short of obtaining speaker awards. Kyle was the 19th speaker and Beth was the 11th speaker. Congrats team!

Even though, not every team advanced to elimination rounds, every debater woke up on Monday morning to watch rounds and scout for the team. In several instances throughout the tournament the teams that did not clear provided crucial scouting information that enabled us to obtain more victories emphasizing the extent to which the whole squad contributes to the success of individual teams. Every individual is an important part of our success.

If this tournament is any indication, K-State Debate has a great season ahead. Upon our return home, each team has indicated a renewed commitment to working hard to prepare for tournaments and if experience tells us anything, it will pay off.