The debate and forensics team spent its last few weekends traveling to multiple competitions and tournament championships. The team captured two first place victories in its last three tournaments and celebrated many individual accomplishments as well.

At the Hill Barton Debate and Forensics Tournament, hosted by Barton County Community College on Jan. 19, the team took first place in Lincoln-Douglas debate. Additionally, Nolan Chaney of Hutchinson, Kan., took home an individual victory, ending the tournament undefeated. Brandon Hoesli of Salina, Kan., and Ashley McHenry of Great Bend, Kan., were named tournament champions in improvised duet acting in their first weekend as partners. In impromptu speaking, Hoesli took third place and his teammate Courtney Cavazos of Hutchinson, Kan., took fourth.

The following weekend, the team traveled to the Gorlock Gala that took place Jan. 25-27 at Webster University in St. Louis, Mo., and included more than 100 schools. Successes from the tournament include the duo of Tyler Brotton of Newton, Kan., and McHenry who advanced to the octafinals in the junior varsity division of parliamentary debate, finishing ninth overall. Varsity teammates Cavazos and Chaney finished in fifth place in parliamentary debate. Chaney was also recognized as one of the top extemporaneous and parliamentary debate speakers.

This past weekend, the team competed in the Border Wars Debate and Forensics Tournament in Salina, Kan., hosted by Kansas Wesleyan University from Feb. 1-3. The team won first place in the overall debate sweepstakes competition. Individually, the duo of Cavazos and Chaney finished with a 6-2 record and second place in parliamentary debate. Chaney went undefeated in Lincoln-Douglas debate and closed out the final round of competition taking first place with Hoesli taking second. Chaney was awarded first place in overall individual debate sweepstakes and extemporaneous speaking while Hoesli took second and Alex Lawhon-Bush of Newton, Kan., finished fourth.

The team’s next tournament will be at home as they host the Zombie Apocalypse Invitational in conjunction with Hutchinson Community College on Feb. 8 on the Sterling College campus.