Seawolf debaters take second place in season opener

The Seawolf Debate team took home second place in this past weekend's invitational in Colorado Springs, hosted by the U.S. Air Force Academy. Four of the five teams that traveled to represent UAA prevailed over a field of 52 teams to the elimination phase of competition, with two teams in the final round in this first competition of the season.

The Air Force Invitational drew a highly competitive field with more than 30 schools from 13 different states competing. After six preliminary rounds of competition, UAA teams had accumulated enough team points to be ranked as the first, second, fourth and fourteenth-place teams place teams (out of 52) and earned their spot in the quarterfinal round.

Though the team of Stacey Lucason and Hayley Cavitt lost in a tough quarterfinal round, their performance was significant given that this was Hayley's first competition on behalf of UAA. Jacob Shercliffe and Matthieu Ostrander distinguished themselves by making it to the semifinal round, while Johanna Richter and Jonathon Taylor joined teammates Sarah Elton and Sam Erickson in the final round. Grappling with the question of whether or not we should open all borders to immigration, ultimately the judging panel gave the championship to a team from Regis University, but announced Elton and Erickson as the second-place team. Out of the 104 speakers present, Jonathon Taylor was individually awarded fifth-place speaker and Sarah Elton was awarded second-place speaker on a tie. UAA's remarkable performance as a squad earned them the honor of second place in the overall debate sweepstakes category.

The next competition for the team will be the Claremont Colleges Invitational Oct. 9-10.

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