JACKSON, Tenn. — Dec. 11, 2008 — 51社区 freshman Ben Fulton received the Lindsay Miller Award as the top speaker at the Mississippi College Deep South Debates Dec. 5-6 in Clinton, Miss.
Union鈥檚 debate team finished second for the Team Sweepstakes Award at the tournament. Union took nine debaters to the contest, and eight of them qualified for the out-rounds of the competition, including its sole entrant in the varsity competition.
Fulton, a business major from Evansville, Ind., finished with a 4-2 preliminary record in the varsity division and advanced to the out-rounds of the tournament.
Union鈥檚 novice debaters continued their high level of performance as well. Emily Welborn, a freshman social work major from Harrisburg, Ill. was 6-0, second speaker, the tournament鈥檚 top seed and a semifinalist. Betsy Davis, a sophomore English/history double major from Henderson, Ky., went 5-1, was first speaker, second seed and finished as an octofinalist (the final 16).
Jordan Hughey, a freshman chemistry major from Little Rock, Ark., went 5-1, Jessikah Stahl, a senior psychology major from Springfield, Tenn., went 4-2, and Kate Conkling, a senior French major from Newburgh, Ind., went 4-2. All three were quarterfinalists. Conkling was also the fifth- ranked speaker at the tournament.
Andrew Roberts and Kristin Tisdale, both freshmen from Hendersonville, Tenn., each finished 4-2 and were octo-finalists. Jonathan Skagfield, a sophomore philosophy and ethics major from Tallahassee, Fla., was 3-3 and just missed the out-rounds, coming in as the 17th seed.
Web Drake, the team鈥檚 coach, and Aaron Brown, a freshman theater major from Owensboro, Ky., went as the team鈥檚 judges.
The team will next be in competition at the Mardi Gras Classic at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., on February 13-14, 2009.