McKendree University to Host Nation's Top Debaters at Two Tournaments

Lebanon Campus Will Host NPTE March 7-9, NPDA March 12-14

(LEBANON, Ill., March 4, 2020) — Watch the nation’s top debaters compete when McKendree University hosts two national tournaments for the first time, during spring break week. The National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE) will be held on campus March 7-9, and the National Parliamentary Debate Association Championship Tournament (NPTE) March 12-14. Some of the highest ranked debate teams in the U.S. will participate, including a McKendree team ranked third in the U.S.

Both events are open to the public. Visitors may park in any non-reserved spot. Guests may drop by Piper Academic Center, Room 220, and McKendree University Debate Coach Joe Blasdel will direct them to a good round to watch. After the topic is announced, teams will have 20 minutes to prepare. Visitors should not enter rooms during this prep time.

Topics to be debated at the NPTE will Chinese violations of U.S. intellectual property rights, incentives for renewable energy, U.S. foreign military aid, reparations for slavery, and South African land reform. Debates will take place mainly in Piper Academic Center classrooms, with semi-finals and finals in the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts.

“It's an incredible honor to host nationals, but it’s particularly exciting that McKendree’s Adeja Powell and Mitch Deleel enter the tournament as the third-ranked team in the country,” said Coach Blasdel. Joining Powell, of Belleville, Ill., and Deleel, of Highland, Ill., will be McKendree debaters Rebecca Postula, of Mascoutah, Ill.; Caden Owens, of Salem; Kyle Garrett, of Troy, Ill., and Kyle Smith, of Walnut Ridge, Ark.

Also competing at the NPTE will be debaters from Concordia University (Irvine, Calif.), El Camino College (Torrance, Calif.), Lewis & Clark College (Portland, Ore.), University of Oregon (Eugene, Ore.), University of California (Berkeley, Calif.), Rice University (Houston, Texas), Rio Hondo Community College (Whittier, Calif.), Saint Mary’s College (Moraga, Calif.), Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Texas), University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), University of Texas (Tyler, Texas), University of the Pacific (Stockton, Calif.) and Western Washington University (Bellingham, Wash.).

The NPTE schedule is as follows:

Saturday, March 7

10 a.m.             Prelim Round 1

Noon                Lunch Break

1:15 p.m.          Prelim Round 2

3:30 p.m.          Prelim Round 3

5:45 p.m.          Prelim Round 4

Sunday, March 8

10 a.m.             Prelim Round 5

Noon                Lunch Break

1:15 p.m.          Elim Round 1

3:30 p.m.          Elim Round 2

5:45 p.m.          Elim Round 3

Monday, March 9

10 a.m.             Elim Round 4

Noon                Lunch Break

1:15 p.m.          Quarterfinals

3:30 p.m.          Semifinals (Hett Center)

5:45 p.m.          Finals (Hett Center)

8 p.m.               Awards (Hett Center)

The larger NPDA Championship Tournament on March 12-14 will host 66 teams from 22 colleges and universities throughout the country, including McKendree University. They are: Concordia University (Irvine, Calif.), El Camino College (Torrance, Calif.), Lewis & Clark College (Portland, Ore.), University of Oregon (Eugene, Ore.), University of California (Berkeley, Calif.), Rice University (Houston, Texas), Rio Hondo Community College (Whittier, Calif.), Saint Mary’s College (Moraga, Calif.), Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Texas), University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), University of Texas (Tyler, Texas), University of the Pacific (Stockton, Calif.), Western Washington University (Bellingham, Wash.), Appalachian State University (Boone, N.C.), Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, Ariz.), Lynn University (Boca Raton, Fla.), Mercer University (Macon, Ga), Point Loma Nazarene University (San Diego, Calif.), the College of Idaho (Caldwell, Idaho), Whitman College (Walla Walla, Wash.) and William Jewell College (Liberty, Mo.)

Competing for McKendree will be Adeja Powell, of Belleville, Ill.; Mitch Deleel, of Highland, Ill.; Rebecca Postula, of Mascoutah, Ill.; Caden Owens, of Salem, Ill.; Kyle Garrett, of Troy, Ill.; Kyle Smith, of Walnut Ridge, Ark.; Jamari Jackson, of Belleville, Ill.; Maddie Kopp, of St. Louis, Mo.; and Dalton Atwater, of Chicago, Ill.

Given the NPDA tournament’s size, debates will occur in almost every classroom throughout the campus. The schedule is as follows:

Thursday, March 12

8:40      Prelim Round 1

10:40    Prelim Round 2

12:15    Lunch Break

1:55      Prelim Round 3

4:05      Prelim Round 4

6:20      Prelim Round 5

 

Friday, March 13

8:40      Prelim Round 6

10:50    Prelim Round 7

12:15    Lunch Break

1:55      Prelim Round 8

3:20      National Student Meeting

4:20      Elim Round 1

Saturday, March 14

8:40      Elim Round 2

10:45    Quarterfinals

12:20    Lunch Break

1:55      Semifinals

4:20      Finals

6:30      Awards

 

-McK-