Debate Team Brings Home Championship Titles from California Cup Sweepstakes
The Cal Poly Debate Team brought home top honors, emerging with several strong performances at the California Cup, which took place from March 27-29.
A three-tournament sweepstakes, the California Cup is hosted by Claremont McKenna College, Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and UCLA, and is open to all debate teams residing in California. Cal Poly debaters were challenged by the most reputable debate programs in the state and nation, and managed to earn championship titles from LMU and Claremont McKenna College, making this the second year that Cal Poly has won the LMU Intervarsity Tournament. Additionally, both teams placed as finalists at the UCLA portion of the sweepstakes.
D
ebaters Kylee Hawthorne (Political Science) and Bradley Patterson (Computer Engineering) led the success at the LMU Tournament, while Emilio Horner (Political Science) and Brooke Matson (Communication Studies) earned the championship title at the Claremont McKenna College Tournament.
Success at the California Cup comes after the Cal Poly Debate Team’s equally impressive wins the preceding weekend (March 20-22), when the team hosted the U.S. Universities Western Regions Championship. The tournament welcomed students from Montana, Colorado, Washington, Oregon and California. Josh Martin (leading adjudicator at the World Universities Debate Championship) and Megan Towles (chief adjudicator of the 2015 U.S. Universities Debate Championship), alongside Cal Poly Assistant Director of Forensics John Patrick, initiated the event by leading training sessions.
Accolades for the Cal Poly team extend to Patrick, who was selected to serve as the parliamentarian for the U.S. Universities Debate Association, deputy chief adjudicator at the 2015 U.S. Universities Debate Championship, and as World Universities Debate Council’s Equity Committee member.
The Cal Poly Debate Team will next compete at the U.S. Universities Debate Championship from April 11-13, at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.