Speech and Debate Succeeds in Final Season Tournament

The U of A Speech and Debate Society traveled to Dallas, Texas, the weekend of March 20-22 to compete in their final tournament of the normal season. Members Austin Keefe, Dylan Hall, Izzy Swafford, Percy Blaich, Emma Powell, Ella Grannon, Hayden Jescheling, Josh Tompkins, Lydia Lim, Matthew Cook, Jace Godfrey and Will Crews saw success in multiple different forms.  

In the Team IPDA division, Keefe/Powell were quarterfinalists. Hall/Swafford made their fourth finals appearance in a row and came out second place. Swafford also was awarded second place speaker in the division, and her team partner Hall was awarded first place speaker. 

In the novice division, Jescheling was a quarterfinalist, marking her first outround appearance. Lim was a semifinalist and was also named the division's fourth place speaker. 

In the junior varsity division, Grannon was named fifth place speaker. Powell was a quarterfinalist and the division's first place speaker. 

In the varsity division, Keefe was a quarterfinalist and the division's third place speaker. Swafford was a semifinalist, and Hall was the tournament champion, as well as the division's first place speaker.  

All in all, the team's individual success amounted to a second place sweepstakes in Team IPDA, a second place sweepstakes in IPDA and a second place overall tournament sweepstakes.  

The team will attend their final tournament of the year in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where Middle Tennessee State University is hosting the IPDA National Tournament and Convention. There, the students will be able to participate in discussion about the IPDA's current standing, as well as its future, and will be able to accept season-long awards and tournament-specific awards. Coach Hannah Morris will be presenting research alongside colleague professor Lindsay Duede of Louisiana State University, Shreveport. Morris has also been nominated for the seventh time as the Bennett Strange Coach of the Year. 

Special thanks to the Diane Blair Center for Southern Politics and Society for their continued support, as well as to the Department of History.  

If you or someone you know is interested in joining speech and debate, it's never too late to start! While our season is ending, now is the time to get a head start for the fall semester. Please contact Coach Hannah Morris at hannahm@uark.edu or President Austin Keefe at akeefe@uark.edu.