Published on February 21, 2018 by Sean Flynt  
debate regionals 2018
Samford debaters celebrate their Feb. 17 tournament victory

Samford University's debate team won the AFA District 6 Tournament–the SEC regional championship–at State University of West Georgia Feb. 17. The victory also qualified the team for the 2018 National Debate Tournament in Wichita, Kansas, March 20-27.

Sophomore Samford debaters Robbie Nikont of Lakewood, Colorado, and Moriah Windus of Ozark, Alabama defeated teams from Emory University and Wake Forest University on the path to the overall win.

Sophomore Jamie Davenport of Grovetown, Georgia, and freshman Kevin Aubrey of Lafayette, Louisiana, won the tournament's junior varsity division, beating the University of Central Florida, the University of Georgia, and Emory University before defeating Central Florida in a rematch in the finals. 

Freshman Kiarra Broadnax of Smith’s Station, Alabama, and freshman Julie Ramsey of Kunming, China, competed in the novice division, defeating the University of Miami twice. Broadnax also earned the novice of the year award for the SEC region.

 
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.