Split Squad Captures LD Title and Another TOC Bid During Successful Weekend
Posted on November 7th, 2006 by Bill Batterman (Category: Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Policy Debate, Public Forum Debate, Results)
The Hilltoppers split their squad between the University of Michigan’s National Debate Invitational and the Brookfield Central Lancer Invitational this past weekend and both squads represented Marquette with distinction.
In Ann Arbor, seniors Gaurav Bhatnagar and Nolan Wanecke added a fourth National Tournament of Champions bid to their resume by advancing to the quarterfinals against a very competitive field. After posting a disappointing 4-2 record during the preliminary rounds, the Hilltoppers bounced back to defeat teams from Pace Academy (Atlanta, Georgia) and The Kinkaid School (Houston, Texas) in the first two elimination rounds. In the quarterfinals, Gaurav and Nolan were defeated by an excellent team from Wylie E. Groves High School (Birmingham, Michigan) in a very close debate; Groves went on to defeat the consensus number one team in the country (The Westminster Schools from Atlanta, Georgia) in the finals to claim the championship. Gaurav was recognized as the tournament’s fifth individual speaker, continuing his run of top awards and solidifying his place as one of the top speakers in the country.
Closer to home, the Webster Club swept the top three spots in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the Brookfield Central tournament, besting some of the best debaters from southern Wisconsin. Junior Jacob Swan finished with a perfect 4-0 record to finish first while sophomore Sam Hope and junior Paul Foy managed 3-1 marks to earn second and third honors, respectively.
The Public Forum squad also continued its excellent debating as senior Dan Garces and junior Robert Schlaeger finished as runners-up. This gifted duo has proven to be one of the best Public Forum teams in the state and big things are expected from them at the Wisconsin State Debate Tournament.
In policy debate, the novice team of sophomore Joe Balisteri and freshman Brendan Schott went a perfect 6-0 during two separate tournaments (Friday and Saturday) but were unable to win an award because they did not have a second half of a four-person team. Nonetheless, the lack of trophies does not detract from their outstanding performance.
In the varsity division, all three Hilltopper teams managed just a 2-3 record but juniors Garrett Fields and Mark Kettler were recognized as the tournament’s first and fourth individual speakers, respectively.
The full squad will be in action next weekend as Marquette heads South to compete in the Janesville Cougar/Viking Debate Invitational.
A few photos from the University of Michigan tournament are available below the fold.
Nolan Wanecke gets in the zone by listening to Phish while unpacking the tubs before a debate.
Gaurav moves the printer as the team prepares for their quarterfinals debate against Groves.