SDU Freshman Dominates First-Ever Tournament

In September, Murray State attended the Big Apple Debate Tournament, a virtual tournament hosted by Queens College. There were ~30 universities and ~80 competitors at this tournament. 

Freshman debater Cole Boyd dominated the prelim rounds of his first-ever tournament with a staggering 6-0 record, making him the #1 seed in the tournament.

Elimination rounds (quarters, semis, and finals) are single elimination brackets, best of 3 ballots. Cole won Quarter Finals AND Semi Finals on a 3-0 decision, meaning he swept all three ballots in each round. 

That set up a Final round between Murray State & CU Boulder, which Cole lost on a razor-thin 2-1 decision. 

Cole winning 13 of his 15 ballots is an incredible feat for any debater, but especially for a novice at their first ever tournament. To win on a 3-0 decision (twice!) is to demonstrate exceptional persuasive skills; to lose on a 2-1 decision highlights a performance that kept the judges on the edge of their seat to the very end of the final round.    

Murray State Rankings at the Big Apple Debate Tournament:

2nd Place Novice IPDA Debate - Cole Boyd

2nd Place Novice Speaker Award - Cole Boyd

8th Place Varsity Speaker Award - Caleb McCurren (there were over 50 competitors in that division!)

5th Place Overall Sweepstakes Awards (out of ~30 schools!)

This was a very large tournament with competitors from around the country. Many prestigious schools were represented, including:

University of North Texas

Seton Hall University

CU Boulder

Simpson College

Berry College

Marshall University

Texas Tech

UMBC

Grove City College

Newberry College

Caleb McCurren, photo courtesy of Jeremy McKeel