Debate squad nationally ranked, qualifies for the national “sweet 16”

National Debate Tournament logoWake Forest University has received an automatic bid to the National Debate Tournament for finishing the debate season as one of the nation’s top 16 teams.

The National Debate Tournament Committee determines the top teams based on their season record.

Two teams from Wake Forest’s debate squad qualified. The teams are Robert Atchinson, a junior from Shreveport, La., and Emma Filstrup, a senior from Raleigh; and Cyclone Covey, a senior from Morrow, Ga. and Wes Lotz, a junior from Houston, Texas.

The students will compete in the National Debate Tournament on March 24-27 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The entire Wake Forest debate squad had the fifth-best record in the country. The varsity squad was ranked third.

Debate at Wake Forest dates back to the early 1800s. Wake Forest, home of the 1997 national championship debate team, is among a small number of schools that has qualified the most often for the National Debate Tournament’s national finals.

Wake Forest also by sponsors programs for high school students, such as the National Earlybird Forensics Tournament. The tournament, which draws thousands of high school debaters to campus each year, is one of the top 10 high school debate tournaments in the country.

Categories: Student, University Announcement