McKendree’s Speech and Debate Team Finishes Season with Standout Performances
(LEBANON, Ill., Dec. 11, 2024) – The McKendree Speech and Debate Team finished its
competition schedule for the fall semester with standout performances at the William
Jewell Swing in November and the Gateway Classic in December.
At the William Jewell Swing in Liberty, Mo., McKendree Debate competed in two tournaments. Debate Captain Aaron Brown partnered with a student from Kansas City Kansas Community College, going 4-1 and 3-2 in preliminary rounds at the first and second tournaments, respectively. They lost in the round of eight of each tournament. Brown was recognized as the sixth best speaker of the first tournament.
At the second tournament, the teams of C. Houck and Erik Hovlid and Victoria Adewole and Ari Carney both went 3-2 and debated in elimination rounds. Both teams were eliminated in the round of 16.
Coach Brent Nicholson called it a strong performance.
“This tournament hasn’t happened since pre-COVID, but William Jewell College has always put on one of the most competitive weekends in parliamentary debate,” Nicholson said. “We were happy to be back on their campus and have our students’ work recognized.”
In December, the team took a “Study Break” at the Gateway Classic/Study Break – another dual event – hosted by Webster University in Webster Groves, Mo. The Study Break tournament is a long-standing tradition for novice and junior varsity debaters to wrap up their semesters with a dedicated tournament. The Gateway Classic features two speech tournaments over the weekend. The team was collectively recognized as the second-best debate team performance at the Study Break tournament, best speech team performance at the first Gateway tournament, and was recognized as the second-best overall performance over the course of the weekend.
In public debate, McKendree students Tyson Thompson and Elan Headlee competed in junior varsity, while newcomers to competitive debate, Kylah Keys and Logan Tomlinson, competed in the novice division. Headlee finished in fourth place and was recognized as the fourth-best speaker in the junior varsity division. Tomlinson finished in fourth place as well and was recognized as the seventh-best novice speaker.
In Drama at the first tournament, Alexandra Walthes took fourth place, while Alyssa Scherer took second place and was recognized as the top novice competitor. At the second tournament, Walthes was recognized as tournament champion.
In Prose at the first tournament, Gracie Vincent took sixth place, Nikki Blue took third place, and Anna Rose Sheehan took second place and was recognized as top novice. At the second tournament, Vincent took second place, Houck took fifth place, and Hovlid took sixth place.
In Extemporaneous Speaking at the first tournament, Caitlin Asbury took sixth place and Blue took fourth place. In the second half, Asbury took 6th place again.
In Duo at the first tournament, the partnership of Walthes and Scherer were recognized as tournament champions.
In Impromptu Speaking at the first tournament, Houck took fifth place, Walthes took fourth place, and Sheehan took third place and was recognized as the top novice. At the second tournament, Walthes took fifth place and Houck took sixth place.
In Poetry at the first tournament, Scherer took second place and was recognized as the top novice.
Director Joe Blasdel wrapped up the first semester of competition neatly.
"I'm excited to see the tremendous growth of the team, with more than twenty students competing this fall,” Blasdel said. “I'm also proud of the fact that our students have played a huge role in facilitating high school speech and debate tournaments in the area. Finally, I'm looking forward to nationals in the spring, which will be hosted by McKendree University."
The team will next host the Second Annual Southern Illinois Debate League Championship and its own regular season tournaments, the Mound High Swing, over McKendree’s winter break.
-McK-
