On Derby Weekend, the Webster Club traveled to Lexington, Kentucky for the National Tournament of Champions. Hosted by the University of Kentucky every year since 1972, the TOC is debate’s preeminent national championship and one of the most intense experiences of any high school debater’s career.

In order to attend the TOC, a team must qualify by accumulating at least two bids during the regular season. Bids are attained by reaching the designated elimination round at an invitational tournament: the most elite tournaments are qualifiers at the octafinal level while others offer bids to quarterfinalists, semifinalists, or finalists. Marquette’s own Hilltopper Classic is the only tournament in Wisconsin to offer contestants a bid to the TOC.

After failing to qualify last season, Marquette was once again represented at the TOC in 2009 thanks to clutch late season performances by senior Joe Balistreri and sophomore Michael Hoffmann at the Harvard and Maine East tournaments. Marquette closed-out the first TOC in 1972—and remains the only school in the tournament’s history to do so—but the squad has struggled to replicate that success during the ensuring four decades. The Hilltoppers finished as runners-up in 1979 and 1985 but have not reached the elimination rounds since despite qualifying six teams to the tournament in the past decade.

This year, Joe and Michael were intent on ending the school’s elimination round drought. With only the nation’s top 67 teams in the field, this would be no easy task. The entire squad worked hard to prepare for the tournament and we were ably assisted by alum and former coach Andy Nolan and Francisco Bencosme, a debater at Wake Forest University and friend of the program who was hired for the weekend.

Arriving in Lexington late on Thursday night after a long drive, we spent Friday finishing our preparation and resting up for the challenging debates to come.

Saturday morning greeted us with overcast skies and a persistent drizzle, but we arrived at the University ready to go at 6:50AM. In the first round, Joe and Michael were matched up with Mountain Brook (Alabama), another senior-sophomore team and one-half of which had defeated us in the finals of the Woodward Second Year National Championship. This time, we avenged the loss and earned a much-needed round one win.

In round two, we were paired against our close friends and rivals from Woodward Academy (Georgia). We had gone out to dinner with the Woodward squad the previous night and have worked closely with them throughout the season, but they once again got the better of us in a closely-fought round. The loss left us with an 0-3 record against Woodward on the season but more importantly a 1-1 record at the TOC and needing to win four out of our final five debates to clear.

After regrouping during a brief lunch, Joe and Michael got back on the winning track in round three with a win over Salt Lake City West (Utah), a team that had defeated us at this year’s Southern Bell Forum in January. With a 2-1 record, we were then matched up with a tough team from the Kinkaid School (Texas) in round four. Knowing that this was a “must win” debate against one of the nation’s best teams, Joe and Michael debated extremely well and pulled out the victory to finish day one with a 3-1 record.

While the students slept, Mr. Batterman and Francisco spent the night hard at work to prepare for Sunday’s critical rounds. We needed to win only two out of three to clear, but that wouldn’t be easy: those three rounds would undoubtedly be against some of the best teams in the country.

The weather was no better on Sunday morning as we again arrived on campus at the break of dawn. In round five, Joe and Michael were paired against the top team from Bellarmine (California), one of the most talented duos in the country and a team that had won the University of Southern California and Meadows School tournaments as well as their state championship (for the second time). Again at the top of their games, Joe and Michael prevailed to claim one of their biggest wins of the season.

With two prelims to go, Marquette was in great position at 4-1. But two big debates remained.

In round six, we were matched up with the top team from the Bronx High School of Science (New York), the team that had defeated us in the semifinals of Harvard and the quarterfinals of St. Mark’s (but that we had defeated in the prelims of Harvard). Continuing the trend begun at Harvard when we had each broken new affirmatives against one another, they read a new case that provided alternative energy to the Post Office in order to prevent its collapse. After a long deliberation by the judge, Bronx emerged victorious and Joe and Michael stood at 4-2.

Needing to win round seven to clear, we drew the top team from Bishop Guertin (New Hampshire). The consensus number two team in the country, they had recently reached the finals of the NDCA National Championship and had claimed the titles at Blake, New Trier, and Georgetown Day and had consistently been in the late elimination rounds of the major national invitationals. Defending the affirmative, Joe and Michael put up a valiant fight but were unable to pull off the upset to knock Bishop Guertin out of the tournament.

Finishing with a 4-3 record, we fell one win short of ending the school’s elimination round drought. Exhausted and disappointed, we nonetheless had much to be proud of—the teams that we debated accumulated 30 wins during the preliminary rounds, the most opponent wins of any team in the tournament.

Looking back, Joe and Michael could boast wins over an eventual semifinalist and the runner-up; their only losses were to two eventual octafinalists and a quarterfinalist. Had the pairings been different, we almost certainly would have ended the drought. But it was not to be, at least not this year.

With the National Forensic League National Tournament remaining on their schedule, the season did not end for Marquette BH. But even if it had ended, Joe and Michael have put together one of the most impressive seasons in Webster Club history. Since the beginning of February, they have:

• Qualified for NFL Nationals with an undefeated record
• Reached the semifinals of the Harvard National Invitational (Joe 18th Speaker)
• Won the Maine East Regatta (Joe 9th Speaker, Michael 15th Speaker)
• Reached the finals of the Woodward Second Year National Championship (Michael with Jack Mackay)
• Earned the top speaker award at the Woodward Second Year National Championship (Michael)
• Reached the octafinals of the NDCA National Championship (Joe with Ben Benson)
• Earned the 8th speaker award at the NDCA National Championship (Joe)
• Finished 4-3 at the TOC
• Earned wins over the TOC Champions and Runners-Up

And that is certainly something to be proud of. And it is something that the entire Webster Club family—debaters, coaches, parents, and alums—can take pride in. Although the elimination round drought at the TOC will continue for at least another year, this year’s squad is one whose achievements will not soon be forgotten.

While most Marquette High students were enjoying the last weekend of their Spring Break, the Webster Club traveled to Las Vegas for the National Debate Coaches’ Association National Championship Tournament. Hosted this year by the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and its debate team, the NDCA tournament has grown into one of the most prestigious in the country. Boasting one of the most competitive fields and perhaps the best judging pool of any high school tournament, it provides a tough postseason test for the nation’s best teams. After travel woes nearly prevented us from competing, the tournament proved an enormous success as Marquette reached the Sweet Sixteen and earned a top-ten speaker award. But it certainly wasn’t easy.

The Webster Club was supposed to be represented by senior Joe Balistreri and sophomore Michael Hoffmann, but plans changed early on Friday morning when Michael’s flight home from a college visit trip was delayed in Atlanta. Fortunately, senior Ben Benson was ready and willing to pinch hit and fill Michael’s spot. Catastrophe was averted—or at least that’s what we thought.

Boarding our Frontier Airlines flight from Milwaukee, the weather was beautiful: with temperatures in the mid-70s and a bright sunny sky, the Chamber of Commerce could not have asked for a better Spring day to showcase the city. Unfortunately, the weather in Denver was not quite so nice. During what we thought would be a short layover, the overcast skies and cold drizzle turned to a full-blown blizzard before our eyes. Flights began to be delayed—including ours—and the snow kept falling.

With things looking bleak, we finally boarded our flight to Las Vegas along with a full load of eager Vegas-goers nearly three hours after we had expected. We were guided through the pre-flight routine as the pilot taxied us to the runway and announced that we were third in line and would be taking off in the next few minutes. A few minutes turned into ten minutes, and then a devastating announcement: our flight had been cancelled and we were taxiing back to the gate.

A mad dash to the Frontier Airline customer service desk ensued as frustrated travelers jockeyed for position in what became a line several-thousand-people long. We were about 100th in line: certainly not ideal, but it could have been worse. With Ben and Joe alternating shifts to keep our spot in line, we surveyed our options and followed the weather and airport reports. With a foot or more of snow expected, things were not looking good. And the line, of course, was barely moving.

We finally made it to the Frontier desk just as one of the four employees behind it decided to take a smoke break. So our wait continued. When she returned, we gave her our names and our destination fully expecting to be told that the next available flight was not until Saturday or even Sunday. Instead, she informed us that we had been placed on the 11:30PM flight—the last flight of the night to Las Vegas—and that we should hurry to the gate to make sure we didn’t miss it.

Shocked—in a good way, for once—that’s exactly what we did. And although the flight did not actually leave until 12:30AM on Saturday, we didn’t care: we were en route to Las Vegas and we would be able to compete in the tournament despite the day’s many travel woes.

By the time we finally arrived at the tournament hotel—the World’s Largest Super 8, a hotel that has (correctly) chosen to advertise its size and not its quality—it was nearly 2:00AM Las Vegas time and we were exhausted. But were there, and that’s all that mattered.

Bleary-eyed but excited to debate, Joe and Ben finished day one with a 3-1 record that included wins over St. Mark’s (Texas), Notre Dame (California), and Westminster (Georgia) and a loss to Glenbrook South (Illinois). The win over St. Mark’s was particularly impressive—that team had been in the finals of both the Glenbrooks and the Barkley Forum and they went on to reach the semifinals this weekend.

Needing a 5-2 record in the preliminary rounds to reach the elims, Joe and Ben began day two with a big win over the “B” team from Damien (California) in round five before losing to our rivals from Woodward (Georgia) in round six. Matched up with the top team from Montgomery Bell Academy (Tennessee) in the final preliminary round, the Hilltoppers prevailed and finished as the tournament’s twelfth seed.

At the awards ceremony on Sunday night, Joe was named the tournament’s eighth best individual speaker—his most impressive speaker award of the season and one that put him square in the middle of an elite group of the nation’s best debaters. Mr. Batterman was also honored with the inaugural NDCA Service Award for his contributions to the organization. To celebrate, we enjoyed a feast of ribs and sweet tea at one of Las Vegas’s best barbeque restaurants—the Ellis Island Barbeque & Brewery, located immediately next to our hotel. The food was fantastic and the prices were unbelievably low—despite the long wait (everyone justifiably loves this place), it definitely receives the Webster Club’s stamp of approval.

On Monday morning, Joe and Ben debated the “B” team from Bishop Guertin (New Hampshire)—two friends including Joe’s partner from summer institute—in the octafinals. Defending the affirmative, we were bested on a 3-0 decision to end our weekend. Despite the loss, Joe and Ben became the first team from Marquette to clear at the NDCA National Championship and Joe earned the highest speaker award of any Hilltopper (Gaurav Bhatnagar was 15th speaker in 2007).

The trip home was much less eventful but equally draining. After staying through the conclusion of the tournament (which was won by Damien over Bishop Guertin), we trekked to the airport in time for our 11:59PM red-eye back to Milwaukee via Chicago. When we finally arrived in Milwaukee, the weather had turned very cold and we drove directly to school just in time for second period.

It was an exhausting trip—but all three of us would do it again in a heartbeat.

After losing in the quarterfinals as freshmen, Michael and Jack entered this year’s tournament as one of the favorites in the second year division. Hoping to better their semifinals appearance at the St. Mark’s Sophomore Hoe Down in October, the duo advanced to the elimination rounds as the top seed with a perfect 6-0 record, boasting wins over teams from St. Mark’s (TX, twice), Alpharetta (GA), Chattahoochee (GA), Pine Crest (FL), and Oak Park-River Forest (IL). Wins over Henry W. Grady (GA) in the octafinals and Pine Crest in the quarterfinals set up a showdown with the fourth-seeded Westminster (GA) on Sunday morning. Defending the negative, Michael and Jack earned another victory and advanced to the final round to debate Mountain Brook (AL). On a 2-1 decision, Kevin Jiang and Lee Quinn were awarded the championship with the Hilltoppers forced to settle for second place.

Despite the loss, Michael and Jack advanced farther at this year’s Second Year National Championship than any team in Marquette’s history. In addition to their second place finish, Michael was named the tournament’s top individual speaker with Jack finishing twelfth. Michael joins a small and very elite list of sophomores to win the top speaker award at both the Sophomore Hoe Down and Second Year National Championship in the same season.

The Webster Club’s freshmen team of Tom Herrmann and Tyler Thur also acquitted themselves well despite limited national circuit experience. A mix of tough competition and bad luck left them with a disappointing 2-4 preliminary round record, but both debaters learned a lot from the experience and are poised to have outstanding sophomore campaigns.

As has become tradition, the squad also made a much-anticipated visit to Mary Mac’s Tea Room, the greatest restaurant in the world. Despite the rainy weekend, the entire squad—Michael, Jack, Tom, Tyler, and senior Joe Balistreri, who fulfilled our judging commitment and provided invaluable coaching throughout the tournament while Mr. Batterman directed tabulation—had a fantastic time and again confirmed that the future of the Marquette program is incredibly bright.

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.

• Kevin Thom - 2000
• Manav Bhatnagar - 2002
• Brian Stepp - 2003

Established to recognize outstanding forensic competitors who represent the values of the organization both inside and outside of debates, the official description of the scholarship is as follows:

The WDCA Scholarship is a $300 award presented to two 12th grade debaters of WDCA member schools who have demonstrated expertise in Policy, Lincoln-Douglas or Public Forum Debate, sportsmanship, scholarship, and leadership in school and community activities. Our recipients have shown integrity through action.

Gaurav was selected from a pool of outstanding applicants on the basis of his competitive success, community service, and good citizenship within the debate community. The following excerpt from Mr. Batterman’s recommendation letter summarizes his qualifications:

Both inside and outside of the debate round, Gaurav has proven to be an exceptionally talented young man with a love and respect for his peers and a passion for the activity that makes him a deserving candidate for recognition by the WDCA. … Despite his competitive success, Gaurav remains humble. He is respectful of his peers and is a model citizen of the debate community, unwilling to succumb to the temptations of arrogance and elitism. One of the most popular debaters on the national circuit, he is always willing to share his time with other students, coaches, and judges. … I can think of no more deserving candidate for recognition by the Wisconsin Debate Coaches’ Association than Gaurav Bhatnagar.

Congratulations to this most deserving young man on behalf of the entire Webster Club!

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!

With the Challenge no longer an option, the Hilltoppers turned to West Allis’s Nathan Hale High School and tournament director Tom Holtgrieve. The host of the annual “Holiday Extravaganza” tournament along with Greendale High School, Mr. Holtgrieve and the Nathan Hale squad were incredibly accommodating and their generosity allowed the Webster Club to enter a Varsity Four-Person team the night before the tournament. After some hectic scrambling and last-minute phone calls, a trio of Hilltoppers came through for their captain and joined Gaurav at the tournament: senior Nolan Wanecke, junior Mark Kettler, and sophomore Ben Benson.

The hard part out of the way, the four debaters competed in three rounds of locked-sides, four-person competition against schools from throughout southeastern Wisconsin. Gaurav and Nolan compiled a perfect 3-0 record on the affirmative while Mark and Ben managed a 2-1 mark on the negative. The foursome’s combined 5-1 record was good for second place behind Nicolet High School and Gaurav and Nolan were recognized as the top two affirmative speakers.

In the end, a potential crisis was averted and the Hilltoppers returned home with some more hardware for their trophy shelves. The entire Webster Club extends its thanks to Nathan Hale and Tom Holtgrieve for their generosity!

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.