FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, Dec. 9, 2005
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications, (304) 696-7153
 

Marshall debate team enjoys successful fall semester

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University’s debate team continues to be successful on the national level with several members winning awards in a number of tournaments.

The squad rounded out the fall semester with two members being awarded honors at The Ohio State University tournament held earlier this month in Columbus.

Junior Dan Mistich was awarded fourth-place speaker out of 60 competitors.  Mistich, a communications studies and political science major from the Parkersburg, W.Va., area, became the first debater on Marshall’s debate team to advance past preliminary rounds at the annual OSU tournament.  Chris Fischer, a sophomore philosophy major from New Hampshire, took home the third-place speaker award in the novice division.

Speaking about the OSU event Mistich said, “The competition is always stiff there and I’m thrilled that we left Columbus with some awards.”

The team also competed at several tournaments earlier in the semester. The squad took first-place team honors in a debate at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.  At Bowling Green senior Geoff Cullop, a political science major from Beckley, W.Va., was a semifinalist and freshman journalism and English major Laura Kimpel of Wheeling, W.Va., advanced to the quarterfinals.  Mistich advanced to the quarterfinals at Purdue University’s tournament in September.

In addition, Marshall regularly competes in the National Forensics Association Lincoln-Douglas event, a one-on-one policy debate format inspired by the 1858 presidential debates of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. 

Some members of the team are expected to travel to Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas in February to compete there.  In April, members of the team who have qualified will compete in the National Forensics Association Grand National Tournament in Eau Claire, Wis.

Dr. Kristine Greenwood, director of forensics at Marshall, is the team’s director and coach.  For more information about the debate team, contact her at (304) 696-6788.

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