Published on November 15, 2010  

Samford’s debate team continued a strong winning streak at the Liberty Debate Tournament held at Liberty University on Nov. 5-7. Eighty-five teams assembled for the tournament this past weekend. One of Samford’s varsity debate teams, junior history major Jacob Lewis and freshman communication studies major Marquis Bell-Ard, placed in the 11th seed out of the competing 85 teams. Furthermore, out of the total 170 speakers, Jacob Lewis placed as the 10th speaker overall in the varsity division.

The junior varsity team, freshman history major Matt Sessions and freshman political science major Garrett Vande Kamp, also experienced success in their division. Sessions and Vande Kamp took first place in their preliminary rounds and went on to win their quarterfinal round in a debate against an 8th seeded team from James Madison University. Sessions placed as the 14th best speaker in the junior varsity division and Vande Kamp placed as the 18th best speaker.

With the debate team continuing their winning streak, Samford’s debate team was ranked as the 13th best team in the nation by the Cross Examination Debate Association.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.