The Michigan State University debate team received a first-round bid for the National Debate Tournament – designating it as one of top 16 teams in the country.
This is the fifth consecutive year MSU has earned one or more first-round bids.
The MSU team members receiving early bids are Tyler Thur, an Honors College senior majoring in international relations, and math senior Margaret Strong. By receiving an at-large, first-round bid, these students automatically qualify for the national tournament, bypassing the normal procedure.
“First-round bids are based on season-long performance as evaluated by a panel of coaches from around the country,” said Debate Head Coach Will Repko. “Marge and Tyler have debated well all season long and are deserving of this recognition.”
Thur and Strong finished in the quarterfinals of the national tournament last year.
The national tournament will be held at the Binghampton University in Binghampton, New York March 30-April 5.
Other colleges that earned at-large bids include: the University of Michigan, Harvard University, Northwestern University, Rutgers University, the University of California-Berkeley, Emory University, Georgetown University, Wake Forest University, the University of Kentucky, Liberty University, the University of Vermont and the University of West Georgia.
The MSU Debate Team is a part of the Honors College.