McKendree Debaters Reach Finals at Home; Back in the Top Ten Nationally
Lebanon, Ill. — The McKendree University debate team currently has four teams ranked in the top 50, according to the National
Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence website. Ian Reynolds and Brad Thomas are ranked ninth, Brent Nicholson and Ben Reid
are tenth, Lindsay Hansard and Mat Myles are 29th, and Lucas Barker and Mat Myles are 50th.
McKendree placed three teams in at least semifinals, including one in finals, and took 16 individual awards at the tournament
it hosted on Oct. 14-16. Eleven colleges and universities competed, including Central Michigan, Loyola and the University
of Texas.
“The team had an outstanding performance,” said Joe Blasdel, coach. “We advanced four teams to elimination rounds at each
half and had a total of three teams reach semifinals. That’s definitely a good sign when looking forward to the rest of the
season.”
Representing McKendree were seniors Anna Chambers, Zak Kilhoffer, Chris Polanc; juniors Lance Allen, Sarah Brown, Alex Caminiti,
Mat Myles, Ben Reid, Ian Reynolds; sophomores Lucas Barker, Trent Boyer, Eddie Cox, Alex Cunningham, Sarah DeBruyckere, Brent
Nicholson, Brad Thomas; and first-year Lindsay Hansard.
In the first parliamentary debate tournament, the team of Reynolds and Thomas posted a 4-1 record. After defeating the University
of Texas in octofinals, they beat Kansas City Community College in quarterfinals. They finished as semifinalists after losing
to another team from the University of Texas.
The team of Nicholson and Reid also went 4-1, finishing as quarterfinalists after defeating William Jewell College in octofinals.
The team of Barker and Myles finished at 3-2 and were octofinalists, while Chambers and DeBruyckere went 3-2 and were double-octofinalists.
Mat Myles was recognized as the first place speaker, from a field of more than 70, while Brad Thomas and Ben Reid placed eighth
and ninth, respectively.
In the second parliamentary debate tournament, Nicholson and Reid went 3-2. After defeating Loyola University in octofinals,
they beat William Jewell College in quarterfinals. In semifinals, they defeated Kansas City Community College before losing
in finals to the University of Texas. Reynolds and Thomas posted a 4-1 record. After beating William Jewell College in octofinals,
they defeated Washburn University in quarterfinals and finished as semifinalists after losing to the University of Texas.
Barker and Myles went 4-1 and finished as octofinalists, while the team of Cunningham and Kilhoffer went 3-2, also finishing
as octofinalists. Brent Nicholson was the fourth place speaker, while Ben Reid and Ian Reynolds were seventh and ninth, respectively.
In Lincoln-Douglas debate, Lindsay Hansard posted a 4-1 record, while Lance Allen posted a 3-2 record. Both finished as quarterfinalists.
The McKendree debaters will compete next at Metropolitan Community College on Oct. 28-30.
-McK-
