The Michigan State University debate team had two top 16 finishes in the Franklin R. Shirley Classic Tournament held this week – the largest tournament of the fall semester.
In all, 140 teams competed in the tournament from universities across the country.
Honors College member and international relations junior Tyler Thur and math junior Margaret Strong, along with the pairing of international relations senior Jack Caporal and international relations senior Quinn Zemel, were the two MSU teams to finish in the octafinals.
Also competing for MSU was the team of political science sophomore Darcell Brown and Connor Munsinger, a first-year Honors College member majoring in computer science. They didn't make it to the elimination round of the tournament.
As a team, MSU debate bested competitors from Baylor University, Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, the University of Florida and the University of Kentucky, among others.
“The Franklin R. Shirley Classic is the largest tournament in the fall portion of debate season,” said head coach Will Repko. “Having two teams finish in the top 16 – out of 140 teams – is always good to see. I’m proud of Jack, Quinn, Tyler and Marge for debating so well.”
The team will conclude the semester in early December with the Spartan Classic tournament, which hosts high school students from around the Midwest.
The MSU debate team is a part of the Honors College.