McKendree University Speech and Debate Team is #5 in the Nation
(LEBANON, Ill., November 30, 2020) — After winning the National Parliamentary Debate
Association (NPDA) team championship and program sweepstakes in 2019-20, the McKendree
University speech and debate team is off to strong start in 2020-21. McKendree is currently ranked fifth in NPDA season
sweepstakes – and has two teams qualified for the National Parliamentary Tournament
of Excellence (NPTE) – Mitch Deleel and Kyle Garrett (sixth place), as well as Rebecca
Postula and Kyle Smith (10th place). First-year student Jayden Touchette has qualified all of her events – prose,
persuasion, and impromptu – for the National Forensic Association Championship Tournament
in April. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the team has been competing in virtual tournaments
this fall.
“Competing in virtual tournaments has been a challenge,” said director Joe Blasdel.
“However, the students have continued to work hard – and we have had some excellent
results thus far. Just as importantly, they have successfully maintained a sense of
community within the team despite the challenges of the pandemic.”
Nineteen teams competed in the Minnesota Classic, hosted by the University of Minnesota,
on Sept. 19-20. Deleel and Garrett posted a 4-2 record and finished as semifinalists,
after defeating the University of Minnesota in quarterfinals. Naya Busbea and Sincere
Williams were recognized as the second place junior team. Deleel was the first place
speaker, while Garrett and Postula took third and sixth, respectively. Busbea was
the top junior speaker.
Forty-three teams competed in the Rice and Friends Tournament, hosted by Rice University,
on Sept. 26-27. Deleel and Garrett went 4-1, finishing as octofinalists. Postula and
Smith posted a 3-2 record and were also recognized as octofinalists.
Twenty-two colleges and universities competed in the Derryberry Season Opener, hosted
by Southwest Baptist University, on Oct. 3. Jayden Touchette took third place and
Top Novice in prose, while finishing sixth place in persuasion.
Seventy-one colleges and universities competed in the Steve Hunt Classic, hosted by
Lewis and Clark College, on Oct. 9-11. Deleel and Garrett went 3-2 and finished as
semifinalists after defeating the University of the Pacific and Texas Tech University
in elims. They also finished as the sixth and seventh place speakers, respectively.
Marlar and Touchette went 4-1 and placed as quarterfinalists in the junior division,
as well as finishing as the first place and sixth place speakers. Postula took fourth
place in editorial commentary, while Touchette finished in fourth place in both novice
prose and novice persuasion.
Thirty-six colleges and universities competed in the Crossman Invitational, hosted
by El Camino College, on Oct. 16-18. Postula and Smith posted a 4-2 record and finished
as semifinalists after defeating teams from Point Loma Nazarene and the University
of the Pacific in octofinals and quarterfinals, respectively. Postula took fourth
speaker, while Smith finished in ninth place. Kopp and Touchette, as well as Busbea
and Williams, posted even records, just missing the break to elims. Touchette also
took first place in impromptu speaking.
Thirty-six teams competed in the Golden Gate Invitational, hosted by the University
of California at Berkeley, on Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Postula and Smith posted a 4-1 record
and finished as octofinalists. Adeja Powell also received the Sharmi Doshi award for
her efforts to empower those under-represented in the debate community.
McKendree’s Mitch Deleel and Kyle Garrett were among six teams selected to participate
in the Pat Kennedy Round Robin, hosted by the University of Pacific, on Nov. 6. They
finished in second place, posting a 3-2 record and collecting 11 ballots (the highest
of any team in the tournament).
Twenty-one teams competed in the Bearcat Classic, hosted by McKendree University,
on Nov. 14-15. Deleel and Garrett posted a 3-2 record, finishing as quarterfinalists.
The teams of Postula and Smith, as well as Jackson and Marlar, also went 3-2 and finished
as octofinalists. Busbea and Touchette defeated Concordia University to finish as
the top novice team at the tournament. Garrett finished as the top speaker in the
tournament, while Deleel took seventh place. Jackson was also the top speaker qualified
for the junior division.
McKendree will next compete in the Mile High Classic, hosted by Texas Tech University
and the University of Texas, on Jan. 14-17, 2021.
Front row, Mitch Deleel and Kyle Garrett; back row, Jayden Touchette, Naya Busbea, Rebecca Postula and Kyle Smith.
