The Speech and Debate Society at the University of Arkansas is represented by top-performing students in early reports of national overalls, and is proud to announce their placements for the fall semester as of November, including a student currently ranked first place in the country.  

The team itself is currently ranked in the top five in the country, standing in fourth for the Scholastic Award and fifth for the Founders Award.  Other notable team placements include: 

4th Place Novice Squad

10th Place JV Squad

4th Place TIPDA Squad

Percy Blaich, a sophomore majoring in studio art, is currently ranked in the top 10 for the novice division, standing in sixth place after two quarterfinals finishes and a championship run alongside fellow novice teammate Josh Tompkins. Austin Keefe, president and a senior in Spanish, political science and criminology, is ranked first place in the country in the Varsity speaking division, which is known as one of the most difficult awards to earn. Past recipients of this award have gone on to Harvard Law School, Tsinghua University in Beijing and Johns Hopkins University for masters and doctoral-level programs. Keefe is also ranked in the top 10 as a varsity debater, coming in at ninth.  

These accomplishments, and those that come next, would not be possible without the support of the team's sponsor, the Diane Blair Center for Southern Politics and Society.