political science majors, reached the final round of eight teams
at the National Debate Tournament.
Seniors Brian Box and Matt Munday made up the WSU team that reached the final round of eight at the National Debate Tournament, March 29-April 2 in Atlanta, before losing to Gonzaga.
Tournament participants from the nation's top 78 teams, including Wichita State, the 29th seed, tackled the topic, Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially increase its democracy assistance to one or more of the following; Egypt, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen.
During their tournament run, the Shockers upset one of Georgetown's two teams in the round of 32 and beat the University of Georgia in the Sweet 16.
"It's a very prestigious finish for us," says Jeffrey Jarman, the team's coach and associate director of the Elliott School of Communication.
It's the best finish for a Wichita State team since 1968, when Bob Shields '68 and Lee Thompson '68 won the national championship. Shields, now an attorney in Atlanta, attended the debate in which WSU beat Georgia. Nationally, some 1,000 debate teams from universities of all sizes vie for the title, all in one division.
Tournaments, Jarman points out, are grueling, both mentally and physically. Debaters put in long hours of preparation and often struggle with exhaustion and sleep-deprivation. In the national tournament, they can undertake as many as four debates a day, and each debate takes almost two hours. To win, the competitors have to think clearly and speak quickly in order to score as many points as possible, no matter how fatigued they might be.
In one tournament twist this year, WSU beat Harvard, a team coached by Alex Parkinson, son of former Shocker debater Mark Parkinson '80. And in another, Box is the first recipient of a debate scholarship established by Parkinson and his wife.
Parkinson, Shields, Thompson and other former WSU debaters plan to be back on campus Friday, Sept. 28 for a reunion.
