While many Webster Club students were serving as volunteers, a relatively small squad made their season debut by competing at the tournament. The Hilltoppers were represented in the Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and Novice Policy fields and were very successful in all three.

In Public Forum, the team of Robert Schlaeger and Jacob Sirus posted a 4-2 record in the preliminary rounds and advanced to the semifinals as the tournament’s fourth seed where they were defeated by the eventual champions from Appleton East. John O’Neill and Matthew Waldoch also opened their season with a solid performance, notching the same 4-2 record but missing the break to semifinals based on speaker points.

In Lincoln-Douglas, five Hilltoppers vied for the title including our top two competitors. Junior Sam Hope, fresh off a rewarding summer institute experience at the National Symposium for Debate, breezed through the prelims with a 5-1 record, dropping only his first round to Chris Conway of New Trier. Advancing to elimination rounds as the second seed, Sam managed to exact revenge as he defeated Conway on a split decision in the semifinals. In the final round, Sam was defeated by Appleton West’s Stephanie Gill. He was also named the tournament’s fifth-best speaker.

Team Captain Jacob Swan had a rough first appearance, managing only a 3-3 record, but his leadership was nonetheless vital to the success of the squad. Despite his record, Jacob finished as the tournament’s third speaker and is sure to bounce back at Nicolet. Making their debuts at the Hilltopper Classic were Nick Nassif and Ryan Welsh, each of whom posted a 2-4 record while gaining valuable experience against more advanced competition; Nassif was also recognized as the ninth speaker. Rounding out the squad was junior Tom Matusiak who made a strong return to debate after a one-year hiatus, managing only one win but very respectable speaker points.

Six other Webster Club students also made their debuts at the Hilltopper Classic as the exciting novice policy squad was unveiled for the first time. With a deep, smart, and dedicated group of young men on-board, this year’s novice policy team promises to be one of the best in Marquette’s distinguished history and they got off to a wonderful start at their home tournament. After five preliminary rounds, the teams of Alex Kendall and Sam Scheurell and Alex Beck and Cameron Graff both accumulated 4-1 records and were seeded first and second, respectively. They advanced to semifinals without debating and were each victorious in the semis, defeating teams from Rufus King and Appleton East to close-out the championship.

The other two teams also debated very well, with Michael Hoffmann and Jack Mackay posting a 2-3 mark while Austin O’Dea and Ander Stanton went 1-5. Marquette also laid claim to four of the top ten speaker awards: Jack Mackay was second, Michael Hoffmann was fifth, Alex Kendall was sixth, and Cameron Graff was ninth.

All things considered, it was a very successful weekend. Next week the team will travel to Nicolet before beginning its split-squad schedule the following week with trips to New Trier (Illinois) and Rufus King. Photos from the Hilltopper Classic will be posted soon; if you took any photos while at the tournament, please email them to Mr. Batterman. Full results in all divisions are available at Wisconsin Forensics Daily.

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!

In Varsity Policy debate, Marquette’s top team of Gaurav Bhatnagar and Nolan Wanecke cleared to the double-octafinals as the tournament’s 30th seed. After getting off to a solid 3-0 start in the preliminary rounds with wins over Shawnee Mission East High School (Prairie Village, Kansas), Loyola High School (Los Angeles, California), and New Trier Township High School (Winnetka, Illinois), the duo lost round four to the top team from Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville, Tennessee). A solid win in round five against fellow-Jesuit St. Ignatius High School (Cleveland, Ohio) put the Hilltoppers in good position, but a disappointing loss to Wayzata High School (Plymouth, Minnesota) left Gaurav and Nolan with a 4-2 record and made round seven a “must-win.” Paired against local rivals (and friends) from Brookfield Central High School (Brookfield, Wisconsin), Marquette prevailed and finished the prelims at 5-2.

A tough match-up in the doubles awaited as the Hilltoppers debated R.J. Giglio and Cameron Goldsmith from Caddo Magnet High School (Shreveport, Louisiana), the tournament’s third seed and one of only three teams to accumulate a perfect 7-0 record during the prelims. One of the most successful teams in the country, Caddo won the coin flip and elected to defend the negative. After a very close debate, R.J. and Cameron prevailed on a split decision with Brett Bricker (University of Kansas) and David Heidt (Emory University and the Westminster Schools) in the majority and Roy Levkowitz (Woodward Academy) voting for Marquette.

Despite the disappointing exit in the first elimination round, Gaurav and Nolan put together a performance to be proud of. In addition to becoming the first Marquette team to reach the elims since Ankur Aggarwal and Manav Bhatnagar finished second in the fall of 2001, Gaurav was recognized as the tournament’s 17th speaker out of a field of 372 debaters from throughout the country.

Marquette’s junior team of Garrett Fields and Mark Kettler also performed well at the Glenbrooks, managing a 4-3 record despite a very difficult preliminary draw. With losses to Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas (Dallas, Texas), Lexington High School (Lexington, Massachusetts), and The Greenhill School (Dallas, Texas), the duo debated three teams that reached the elimination rounds including the eventual champions (Greenhill). It was by far the best showing of the season for this promising team and is something to build on for the rest of their junior campaign.

The Webster Club was also represented in Junior Varsity Policy debate, a very competitive division that brings together the best second-year students from schools throughout the United States. Despite having the squad’s top second-year debater (Garrett Fields) competing in the varsity division, the Hilltoppers fielded two strong teams that each managed 2-4 records: Ben Benson and Jacob Sirus and Noah Charles and John O’Neill. After John was forced to withdraw from the tournament with an illness during the second day, Noah competed on his own and earned the division’s eighth speaker award, a very impressive accomplishment.

Rounding out the policy squad was the novice pair of David Glaubke and Michael Sirus, a Public Forum debater who filled in admirably in the policy division. While these freshmen managed only a 1-5 record, they nonetheless gained valuable experience and had an enjoyable time in Illinois.

While the policy squad formed more than half of Marquette’s entry, the Webster Club was also well-represented in the tournament’s other divisions.

In Lincoln-Douglas debate, junior Jacob Swan braved the incredibly competitive Varsity division that included 204 debaters from more than 30 states. Finishing with a 2-5 record, Jacob equalled the mark posted by fellow-Wisconsin competitors from Appleton East, Brookfield East, and Neenah and was bested only by Sheboygan North’s Noah Trilling (3-4). While another win or two would have been more satisfying, the LD team captain nonetheless gained valuable experience against top-notch debaters.

In the Junior Varsity LD division, fellow-junior Paul Foy (a second-year debater) racked up a 3-3 record at his first national tournament. Particularly gratifying for Paul was the manner in which he reached .500: after dropping his first three rounds, he righted his personal ship and was victorious in rounds four through six.

In addition to policy and LD, Marquette made their national circuit debut at the Glenbrooks in Public Forum debate. While they struggled to a 1-5 record, senior Dan Garces and junior Robert Schlaeger made Webster Club history and gained valuable exposure to the strategies used by teams in states as far away as California, New York, and Texas. As Marquette continues to build its Public Forum program into one of the best in Wisconsin, these two students will be remembered as pioneers who paved the way for future Hilltoppers in this exciting event.

Finally, junior Peter Andersen competed in Dramatic Interpretation, one of six individual events offered by the Glenbrooks. The captain of the Webster Club’s interpretation and acting team during the forensics season, Peter became the first “forensics” speaker from Marquette to enter a national tournament during the fall semester in several years. Performing a selection from Jeffrey Hatcher’s play Three Viewings entitled “Tell-Tale,” Peter received valuable feedback and got his first taste of national circuit forensic competition. Peter’s participation is sure to provide an excellent springboard for his Wisconsin forensics season and he will be counted on as one of the squad’s leaders when the Hilltoppers attempt to capture their fourth consecutive State Championship in April.

In Varsity Policy Debate, the Hilltoppers qualified three of their four teams to the Wisconsin State Debate Tournament. Senior Gaurav Bhatnagar and sophomore Noah Charles teamed up to finish the elimination rounds with a perfect 6-0 record, good for the tournament’s top seed, before dropping to Rufus King’s top team in the semifinals. Senior Nolan Wanecke was paired with sophomore Ben Benson and the duo managed a 5-1 preliminary round record; unfortunately, a tabulation error prevented them from competing in the semifinals. Junior David Gebhardt and sophomore John O’Neill also put together a successful weekend, notching three wins and three losses during the preliminary rounds.

The only “normal” partnership, however, was the big story. Juniors Garrett Fields and Mark Kettler, needing to clear to the elimination rounds in order to qualify for State, finished the prelims with a clutch 5-1 record and as the third seed entering the elimination rounds. The duo went on to defeat Brookfield Central in the semifinals and then claimed the championship when Rufus King conceded the final round. It was the “B” team’s first appearance in elimination rounds and their first tournament championship after several disappointing near-misses.

In Lincoln-Douglas Debate, all four Hilltopper entries put together excellent weekends: Junior Jacob Swan won the championship on Friday night and was a quarterfinalist on Saturday, junior Paul Foy was a quarterfinalist on Friday and a semifinalist on Saturday, sophomore Sam Hope was a quarterfinalist on both days, and freshman Stephen Buting made his Webster Club debut in style by compiling a 3-5 overall record.

Marquette combined to post a 39-21 record—a .650 winning percentage—and earned twelve more bids to the Wisconsin State Debate Tournament.

Photos from the Webster Club’s trip to Janesville are available below the fold.

Ben Benson debated with Nolan Wanecke and qualified for the Wisconsin State Debate Tournament.

Lincoln-Douglas Captain Jacob Swan won the Friday night tournament.

Paul Foy put together a successful weekend, finishing as a quarterfinalist on Friday and a semifinalist on Saturday.

Garrett Fields and David Gebhardt await the round one pairings.

John O’Neill and David Gebhardt prepare for their third round debate.

Noah Charles poses for a picture with Mark Kettler, Gaurav Bhatnagar, Ben Benson, and Nolan Wanecke in the background.

Nolan Wanecke receives his second place speaker award as tournament director Brian Devine announces the results in the background.

• The Janesville Cougar/Viking Debate Invitational (November 10-11)
• The Glenbrooks in Northbrook/Glenview, Illinois (November 18-20)
• The Alexandra Hoecherl Challenge at Appleton East (December 1-2)
• The Wisconsin State Debate Tournament at Hortonville (December 8-9)

The Webster Club has qualified several students to the Wisconsin State Debate Tournament. The final two qualifying opportunities will be Janesville and Appleton East.

Public Forum

• Dan Garces
• Robert Schlaeger
• Matthew Waldoch

Lincoln-Douglas

• Jacob Swan
• Sam Hope
• Joe Dobbs
• Paul Foy

Novice Policy

• Joe Balisteri
• David Glaubke
• Pierre Mewissen
• Brendan Schott

The Varsity Policy squad has yet to qualify any teams to State but is hoping to do so at the season’s final two in-state tournaments.

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.

The MVPs for the trip were freshman David Glaubke and sophomore Joe Balistreri who advanced to the semifinals of the novice policy division in their first out-of-state, switch-sides tournament. After compiling a 4-1 record during the preliminary rounds, David and Joe advanced to the quarterfinals as the tournament’s third seed and defeated a team from Highland Park Senior High (St. Paul, Minnesota) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Marquette was defeated by the top novice team from nearby Nicolet High School (Glendale, Wisconsin) in a hard-fought debate. Joe was recognized as the tournament’s ninth individual speaker while David finished 16th out of the field of over 40 debaters.

While the second-year policy and first- and second-year Lincoln-Douglas debaters largely struggled against difficult and more experienced competition, juniors Garrett Fields and Mark Kettler put together an impressive 4-2 record during the preliminary rounds of the varsity policy tournament. Unfortunately, the duo did not qualify for elimination rounds based on their speaker points. Nonetheless, it was another solid performance by a team on the rise.

Photos from the Webster Club’s trip to Cedar Rapids are available below the fold.

Everyone was impressed with the Iowa 80 Truckstop, an oasis of fast food and neon lighting in the middle of Nowhere, Iowa.

Don’t take our word for it: this gigantic neon sign informs visitors that the Iowa 80 Truckstop is indeed the largest in the world.

A group of Webster Club members attempt to look cool in the parking lot of the world’s largest truckstop: (left to right) Noah Charles, Joe Balistreri, David Glaubke, Jacob Swan, Jacob Sirus, and Garrett Fields.

Noah Charles, Jacob Swan, and Joe Balistreri brave the wind and rain to pose for a picture in the Iowa 80 Truckstop parking lot.

The team awaits the awards ceremony: (left to right) Sam Hope, Noah Charles, Jacob Swan, Mark Kettler, and Ben Benson.

Marquette BC (Ben Benson and Noah Charles) poses before an upcoming round with coach Ben Schultz.

Sophomores Ben Benson and Noah Charles during Saturday’s competition.

The novice semifinalists: David Glaubke and Joe Balistreri.

The Iowa Caucus Squad poses for a picture before the return trip on Sunday night: (left to right) Garrett Fields, Jacob Sirus, Joe Balistreri, David Gebhardt, David Glaubke, Mark Kettler, Ben Benson, Noah Charles, Jacob Swan, and Sam Hope.

A better picture of the Iowa Caucus Squad: (left to right) Garrett Fields, Jacob Sirus, Joe Balistreri, David Gebhardt, David Glaubke, Mark Kettler, Ben Benson, Noah Charles, Jacob Swan, and Sam Hope.

In Public Forum, the Toppers continued their successful run by finishing in second place with a 3-1 record. Junior Robert Schlaeger teamed up with freshman Matthew Waldoch in a hybrid of the squad’s top two pairs and their placement added Matthew to the Webster Club’s impressive list of state qualifiers.

In policy debate, two separate tournaments were held (one on Friday and the other on Saturday). The novice duo of Joe Balistreri and David Glaubke were a perfect 3-0 in one four-person tournament while Joe and David Moldenhauer went 2-1 in the other. The varsity teams did not fair as well but it was an enjoyable experience all-around for the Hilltoppers.

At New Trier, Gaurav and Nolan compiled a 5-1 record during the preliminary rounds before defeating teams from Glenbrook North High School (Northbrook, Illinois) and Damien High School (La Verne, California) in their first two elimination debates. The tournament’s seventh seed, Marquette lost to the top team from Glenbrook North in the quarterfinals but nonetheless earned their third bid to the season-ending National Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky. Gaurav was recognized as the tournament’s sixth individual speaker while Nolan finished in the top thirty out of a field of 202 debaters from over 15 states.

Closer to home, senior Dan Garces and junior Robert Schlaeger became the first Public Forum team from Marquette to compete in elimination rounds as they finished second at both the Friday night and Saturday tournaments at Rufus King. A new event offered by the Webster Club this season, Public Forum is a two-person, switch-sides debate event that emphasizes persuasive communication to a lay audience. Freshmen Fernando Buchanon-Nogueron and Matthew Waldoch also fared well in their first tournament of the season as they helped the Webster Club Public Forum squad get off to a promising start.

Also at Rufus King, sophomore Joe Dobbs made a successful debut in Lincoln-Douglas debate as he advanced to the final round of Saturday’s tournament. Despite dropping to a debater from Sheboygan North, Joe qualified for the Wisconsin State Debate Tournament along with junior Jacob Swan and sophomore Sam Hope, who both finished as semifinalists.

In all, 15 students competed for the Webster Club this past weekend.

The team will be back in action on Saturday as the policy team travels to West Bend East and West High Schools for a one-day, four-person tournament. Six debaters—including the Hilltopper’s novice squad—will be making their season debuts.

Photos from New Trier and Rufus King are available below the fold.

The New Trier Squad (left to right): Gaurav Bhatnagar, David Gebhardt, Garrett Fields, Nolan Wanecke, Jake Sirus. (not pictured: Mark Kettler)

Mark Kettler discusses a previous round at New Trier.

David Gebhardt and Jake Sirus made their 2006 debuts at New Trier.

Gaurav Bhatnagar and Nolan Wanecke display their quarterfinals plaque from New Trier.

Christian DeHoyos (Damien High School in California) chills with Garrett Fields, Gaurav Bhatnagar, and Nolan Wanecke while waiting for pairings at New Trier.

Jacob Swan and Sam Hope pose for a picture at Rufus King. (photo by Nick Bubb)

Joe Dobbs, posing next to Nicolet coach Jason Chapman, finished in second place in Lincoln-Douglas Debate at the Rufus King tournament. (photo by Nick Bubb)

Dan Garces and Rob Schlaeger made history as they became the first Public Forum team from Marquette to (a) compete and (b) reach the elimination rounds. The duo finished second at Rufus King. (photo by Nick Bubb)

Former MUHS LDer Nick Henegar hangs out with current MUHS LDers Jacob Swan, Sam Hope, and Joe Dobbs at Rufus King. Nick is now a student at Kohler High School. (photo by Nick Bubb)

November Public Forum resolutions. Webster Club students will begin debating the LD topic at the Iowa Caucus in late October and will attend several tournaments during that will use the PUblic Forum resolution.

2006 November/December Lincoln Financial Group/NFL L/D Debate Topic

Resolved: A victim’s deliberate use of deadly force is a just response to repeated domestic violence.

2006 November Public Forum Topic

Resolved: That participating in multinational diplomatic efforts is beneficial to U. S. interests.

Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum debaters will begin working on their new resolutions beginning next week.