Triumph and Tragedy at the First-Ever WDCA/WHSFA Wisconsin State Debate Tournament
Posted on December 10th, 2006 by Bill Batterman (Category: Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Policy Debate, Public Forum Debate, Results)
The Wisconsin Debate Coaches’ Association and the Wisconsin High School Forensic Association hosted the first-ever combined Wisconsin State Debate Tournament this past weekend in Hortonville. Students from 35 schools gathered for competition in Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, and Public Forum debate and the Webster Club racked up a number of outstanding accomplishments.
Most impressively, the Hilltoppers cleared to the elimination rounds in all three Varsity switch-sides divisions. Marquette became the first school ever to do so in just the second year that Public Forum has been offered as a sanctioned event. In total, six Webster Club students advanced to the elimination rounds and another ten represented Marquette at the tournament. With sixteen total competitors, Marquette boasted one of the largest entries of any school in the state.
The squad’s triumphs were plentiful.
In Public Forum debate, senior Dan Garces and junior Robert Schlaeger compiled a 4-2 record during the preliminary rounds and advanced to the quarterfinals as the tournament’s seventh seed. Paired against the second seed from Appleton East, the Hilltoppers lost a close 2-1 decision but were nonetheless honored as one of the top eight teams in Wisconsin. Dan and Rob’s accomplishment is particularly impressive because it came in Marquette’s first season of competition in Public Forum debate. Matched-up against more experienced squads, these two exceptional young men accomplished something that never would have seemed possible when the program was born in September.
In Lincoln-Douglas debate, the Hilltoppers re-established themselves as one of the premier programs in the state. Just one season after no Marquette students competed in the LD division at the state tournament, the Webster Club qualified four debaters that combined for a 14-10 record and the Toppers advanced two students to the elimination rounds.
Junior Jacob Swan, the team’s captain, worked tirelessly during the weeks preceding the tournament to help prepare his peers for the tournament and was rewarded for his hard work with a 5-1 preliminary record. Advancing to the quarterfinals as the tournament’s fourth seed, Jacob lost a close round and a split decision to Sheboygan North’s Noah Trilling, the eventual champion. Jacob had defeated Trilling and top-seeded Andy Kriha from Neenah in the preliminary rounds and was recognized as the tournament’s sixth speaker.
While Swan was expected to do well, sophomore Sam Hope broke through with a phenomenal performance as a novice debater and qualified for the quarterfinals with a 4-2 record. The sixth seed, Sam was the only first-year debater to reach the elims and was one of only six students to accumulate a winning record. Despite dropping to the third-seeded Jennifer Limbach from Brookfield East in the quarterfinals, Sam’s performance will be remembered as a benchmark for all future first-year Webster Club LDers.
Fellow first-year debater Joe Dobbs also faired incredibly well given his lack of experience, compiling a 3-3 record during the preliminary rounds. After competing in only one tournament during the regular season, Joe entered the WSDT without any rounds under his belt on the November-December topic and still managed a .500 mark.
Rounding out the Hilltopper squad was junior Paul Foy, a second-year competitor who came on strong during the second half of the fall semester after the conclusion of the cross country season. Despite a disappointing 2-4 record, Paul was named the tournament’s third-best speaker and big things are expected of him in 2007.
The novice policy debate squad did not fare so well, compiling a 1-5 record in the three-round, four-person competition. Sophomore Joe Balistreri and freshmen David Glaubke, David Moldenhauer, and Brendan Schott nonetheless gained valuable experience and had the opportunity to watch the final round of the varsity tournament late on Saturday night.
It was there that the team’s triumphs and tragedies were brought into stark relief.
Seniors Gaurav Bhatnagar and Nolan Wanecke, hoping to avenge the Hilltoppers’ loss in last year’s final round, entered the tournament as the unanimous favorites and consensus number one team in Wisconsin. The preliminary rounds seemed to bear that out as Marquette rolled through to a 6-0 record, defeating the top teams from Rufus King, SPASH (Stevens Point), and Neenah along the way.
Individually, Gaurav earned the top speaker award for the second year in a row, a feat accomplished by only one other debater in Wisconsin’s history (Peter Klein of Nicolet in 1997-1998 and 1998-1999 was the first). Nolan also matched last year’s speaking accomplishment, finishing in fifth place behind Amjad Asad and Asad Asad of Rufus King and Mark Morgan of Wausau West.
Marquette entered the elimination rounds as the tournament’s top seed but was paired against the top team from Neenah in the quarterfinals. One of the top three teams in the state, Ivie Okundaye and Osahan Okundaye had unexpectedly struggled through the preliminary rounds, eking out a 3-3 record and narrowly qualifying for the elims. Gaurav and Nolan had defeated Neenah in round five so the two teams switched sides for the quarterfinals with the Okundayes defending the affirmative and the Hilltoppers defending the negative. After a spirited debate, Neenah was awarded the victory on a 2-1 decision with Matt Olson voting negative and Joe Klopotek and David Henning voting affirmative.
The loss ended Marquette’s run for a state championship and left a sour taste in the Webster Club’s collective mouth. Neenah went on to defeat Wausau West in the semifinals and Rufus King in the finals to claim the title, the third in their school’s history, while the Hilltoppers were left to contemplate what might have been.
Besides Gaurav and Nolan, Marquette was also represented in the Varsity Policy field by the junior team of Garrett Fields and Mark Kettler and the sophomore team of Ben Benson and Noah Charles. Both teams struggled to put wins on the board, but they gained valuable experience and will be a force to be reckoned with in 2007.
When the history book closes on this year’s Webster Club, the Wisconsin State Debate Tournament will undoubtedly be remembered for both its successes and its disappointment. On the whole, however, the Hilltoppers came together and performed magnificently, representing Marquette University High School with distinction and honor.
In the end, the way the game was played will be remembered more than its outcome, and the Webster Club played it the right way. Congratulations to the entire program for a marvelous 2006!