Published on October 24, 2018 by Sean Flynt  
Samford debaters at the Oct. tournament
Samford debaters at the Oct. tournament

The Samford University debate team of Kiara Broadnax and Max Dillinger defeated Emory University to win the Junior Varsity division of the 2018 Samford Debate Tournament Oct. 19-21. Broadnax was named top speaker and Dillinger was named second speaker. 

The Samford team of Moriah Windups and Sarah Emerson defeated Emory and the University of Georgia to advance to the finals of the Varsity division. Windups won second speaker while Emerson won fifth speaker. 

“This is the strongest start to a season for our team in the last six years,” said debate director Ryan Galloway. Assistant director Lee Quinn added, “We competed well at our tournament, but more importantly, we provided excellent hospitality to our community. One coach compared Samford’s tournament to the Harvard tournament, which is the gold standard for excellent tournament hosting.” 

The Samford debaters will compete at Liberty University in early November before closing out the semester at the fall championships at Wake Forest University.

 
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.