FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Greta Stahl
Director of Debate
10 Linton Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Mi  48824
517-432-9667
stahlgre@msu.edu

MSU Debate Team Wins Wayne State Tournament (and Costume Contest!)

East Lansing, MI – October 22nd

The MSU debate team’s annual trip to the Wayne State University tournament ended on an unprecedented high this year as the team won the tournament for the first time in its history.  In fact, MSU’s success was so great that no final round was even needed to determine a winner – as both final round teams were from MSU!

Seniors Debbie Lai (Troy, MI) and Athena Murray (Dorr, MI), and seniors Jeremy Hammond (Cadillac, MI) and Abby Schirmer (Fairview Heights, IL) advanced to the final round after defeating teams from Northwestern University and Weber State University in the semi-finals.  The two teams will now share the title of defending champion.

In addition to these two teams success, the rest of the MSU squad also had an impressive showing.  Of the six MSU teams attending the tournament, five qualified for elimination rounds – having won five or more of their preliminary debates – and all five advanced to the quarterfinals.  In addition to champions Lai, Murray, Hammond, and Schirmer, these teams were comprised of:

1. Freshman Ben Mehling (Alpharetta, GA) and sophomore Sam Shore (Dallas, TX), who unfortunately were scheduled to debate Hammond and Schirmer in the quarterfinals. 
2. Freshman Tom Gliniecki (Dimondale, MI) and freshman Nathan Bashaw (Little Rock, AR), who defeated Illinois State in the octofinals, but lost to Weber State University in the quarterfinals
3. Freshman Katie Klante (Brookfield, WI) and sophomore Katie Gjerpen (South Lyon, MI) advanced to the quarterfinals, where they were defeated by a team from Northwestern University

Twenty teams from eight different schools attended this year’s Wayne State tournament.  On their path to victory, MSU garnered wins over regional rivals such as Northwestern University, Wayne State University, the University of Minnesota, and Miami University of Ohio. 

“We’re very proud of our team, especially the seniors,” said head coach Will Repko.  “Although we’ve had some success at Wayne State in past years, we’ve never won the tournament.  These students have worked hard during their time on the team, and we’re very excited that they now have this victory to add to their list of accomplishments.”

Freshman Tom Gliniecki won first place for his Star Trek costume, and senior Debbie Lai finished second for her Tigger costume.

Congrats to Tom and Debbie, and to all the MSU debaters for their hard work and success!