Published on March 29, 2016 by Sean Flynt  
Bennie Davis2
Debate All Americans Marley Davis and Natalie Bennie

Samford University debaters Natalie Bennie of Brentwood, Tennessee, and Marley Davis of Mount Olive, Alabama, earned top honors at the Cross-Examination Debate Association (CEDA) National Debate Tournament in Binghamton, New York, March 26–29. Both were named Debate All Americans, a designation reserved for the nation’s top 30 debaters. Both also were named Summa Cum Laude Debate Scholars for the combination of their high grade point averages and debate excellence.

In addition to their personal honors, Bennie and Davis had great success in the tournament, posting wins against Binghamton University, Central Oklahoma University, George Mason University, the United States Military Academy, the University of Kansas and the University of Vermont.

 
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.