Webster Club Lincoln-Douglas Debate students have represented Marquette University High School at hundreds of tournaments throughout the United States. The following are some of the most impressive accomplishments by members of the team broken down by tournament. For a complete list of tournament honors broken down by season, please visit the main accomplishments page.
The Wisconsin Debate Coaches’ Association State TOC
Lincoln-Douglas Debate was added to the State TOC as a fully-sanctioned event for the 2001-2002 season after being held as a probationary event in 2000-2001. The Hilltoppers closed out the finals in 2000-2001 and closed out the semifinals in 2001-2002, clearing a record five debaters to the quarterfinals. In total, ten Marquette students have cleared to the elimination rounds in the event’s five-year history as a fully-sanctioned event.
State Championships
State Semifinalists
State Quarterfinalists
The Wisconsin Forensic Coaches’ Association State Tournament
Before its addition to the WDCA State TOC, the Wisconsin Lincoln-Douglas Debate State Championship was hosted by the WFCA each April. Marquette claimed the LD state title twice while clearing 14 debaters to the elimination rounds between 1996 and 2004.
State Championships
State Runners-Up
State Semifinalists
State Quarterfinalists
The Mid-America Cup at West Des Moines Valley
A tough early season test that draws strong competition from throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes, the Mid-America Cup is hosted by Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. Marquette has cleared five debaters to the elimination rounds over the past decade including a pair of octafinalists in 1997-1998 and 2000-2001.
Elimination Round Appearances
Founded in the early 1970s, the Tournament of Champions is “America’s foremost debate competition.” Sponsored by the University of Kentucky’s Student Forum and Henry Clay Debate Council, the TOC is held each Spring to crown the nation’s top Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and Student Congress debaters. Students must qualify to attend the TOC by clearing to the appropriate elimination rounds of various invitational tournaments during the season and doing so is one of the most impressive accomplishments of any high school debater.
The following Lincoln-Douglas Debaters have qualified to represent Marquette University High School at the Tournament of Champions:
The National Forensic League National Tournament
Each June, the National Forensic League hosts its National Speech and Debate Tournament to crown champions in debate and forensics. Marquette has been one of the most dominant programs in the NFL’s history and has qualified dozens of Lincoln-Douglas debaters out of the Milwaukee district. The following is a very incomplete list of Webster Club students who have qualified for the prestigious tournament; more will be added as research continues into the program’s history.
NFL National Qualifiers
More information about the Lincoln Douglas Debate program is available in the “About Webster Club” section of this site.