The Speech and Debate Society at the U of A finished the 2024-25 season on a high note, with students Austin Keefe, Aubree Watkins, Dylan Hall, Emma Powell, Hadley Adkison, Izzy Swafford, Jace Godfrey, Jaci Sabatini, Jade Vasquez, Josh Tompkins, Luke Thurmon, Matthew Cook, Max Green, Percy Blaich, Presley Jones, Sebastian Urban, Sophie Barrentine and Will Crews bringing home top honors in the state of Arkansas and nationally.

The team traveled to Baytown, Texas, this past weekend to compete in the International Public Debate Association's National Convention and Tournament and brought home many accolades. Notably, all but two students from the team had either 4-4 records or higher, a large feat for a team of its size. 

Team IPDA division

• Max Green (senior, biomedical engineering) was awarded sixth place speaker in the nation.

• The team of Percy Blaich (freshman, studio art) and Will Crews (freshman, political science) advanced to double-octofinals, finishing top 32 in the nation.

• The team of Hadley Adkison (senior, psychology and Classical studies) and Austin Keefe (junior, political science, Spanish and criminology) advanced to semifinals, finishing top three in the nation.

Novice division

• Presley Jones (freshman, criminology, sociology, political science) was awarded second place speaker in the nation.

• Emma Powell (freshman, criminology, sociology, psychology) advanced to double octofinals, finishing top 32 in the nation.

Junior Varsity Division

• Izzy Swafford (freshman, philosophy and political science) advanced to double octofinals, finishing top 32 in the nation.  Swafford was also in the top 15 speakers in the nation.

Varsity Division

• Hadley Adkison (senior, psychology and Classical studies) was awarded second place speaker in the nation and also advanced to octofinals, marking a top 16 finish in the nation.

• Dylan Hall (sophomore, criminology, sociology and philosophy) advanced to quarterfinals, marking a top eight finish in the nation.

• Sophie Barrentine (junior, history and international studies) advanced to semifinals, marking a top three finish in the nation.

• Austin Keefe (junior, political science, Spanish and criminology) was awarded eighth place speaker in the nation

Professional Division

• Max Green (senior, biomedical engineering) was awarded sixth place speaker in the nation and also advanced to octofinals, marking a top 16 finish in the nation.

Overall, the Speech and Debate Society finished fifth overall in the Scholastic Division, sixth in the Founders Division, sixth overall and the first place team in the state of Arkansas for the fourth consecutive year. Coach Hannah Morris was nominated for the sixth year in a row for the Bennett Strange Coach of the Year Award. 

The team would like to extend thanks to the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and the Associated Student Government for their support in getting students to the competition. It would also like to thank Perry Keefe, Michelle Waldrop, Amy Barrentine, Pat and Bonnie Culverhouse, Chuck Rogers, Carolyn Rodeffer, Sarah and Timothy Stevenson, Liz and Richard Skyles, the family of Dylan Hall and many others who helped to provide the team with needed funding this year. Without these individuals, the team would not have been able to compete nor achieve national top five status for the third year in a row.

If you are interested in joining the Speech and Debate Society, please contact president Austin Keefe (akeefe@uark.edu) or Coach Hannah Morris (hannahm@uark.edu). You can also follow our instagram account @uarkdebate and find us on Hogsync by searching Speech and Debate Society at the U of A.