UARK Speech and Debate Places 2nd in Country

The UARK Speech and Debate Society, represented by Austin Keefe, Dylan Hall, Izzy Swafford, Percy Blaich, Presley Jones, Colten Nichols, Luke Thurmon, Sophie Barrentine, Luke Paulus, Hayden Mittlestat, Josh Tompkins, Lydia Lim, Ella Grannon, Hayden Jescheling, Emma Powell, Aubree Watkins, Will Crews, Jonas Lansford, Remi La Blue, Matthew Cook, Jace Godfrey, Brendan Klaus, Riley Lowe, Jordan Ellis, Jack Barryhill, Jacqueline Maldonado-Martinez, Jack Van Dyke and Ivan Luzcando, traveled to Middle Tennessee State University the weekend of April 9-13 to compete in the International Public Debate Association's National Tournament and Convention.  The students involved brought home many accolades, including a 2nd Place Scholastic Sweepstakes, which represents all divisions containing undergraduate students combined.

Season-long, the team had its most successful run to date, earning a total of 248 awards in a single season, including a national champion speaker in the varsity division.

Scholastic Sweepstakes - 3rd Place
Founders Sweepstakes - 4th Place
Novice Squad - 4th Place
JV Squad - 5th Place
Hayden Mittlestat - 9th Place JV Debater
Emma Powell - 6th Place JV Speaker
Varsity Squad - 5th Place
Austin Keefe - 4th Place Varsity Debater, 1st Place Varsity Speaker, 3rd Place TIPDA Speaker
Dylan Hall - 6th Place Varsity Debater, 2nd Place Varsity Speaker, 5th Place TIPDA Speaker
Pro Squad - 10th Place
Team Squad (2v2) - 2nd Place
Hall/Swafford - 3rd Place TIPDA Debaters
Keefe/Powell - 4th Place TIPDA Debaters
Izzy Swafford - 8th Place TIPDA Speaker

The team was similarly successful at the National Tournament, including a 2nd Place Overall Scholastic finish and in the TIPDA division, where three of the top four teams came from the U of A.

Scholastic Sweepstakes - 2nd Place
Overall Sweepstakes - 5th Place
Hall/Swafford - 2nd Place TIPDA Team
Keefe/Powell - 3rd Place TIPDA Team (tie)
Paulus/Mittlestat - 3rd Place TIPDA Team (tie)
Lydia Lim - Novice Triple Octofinalist
Presley Jones - Novice Triple Octofinalist
Brendan Klaus - Novice Octofinalist
Luke Paulus - JV Double Octofinalist
Ella Grannon - JV Double Octofinalist
Percy Blaich - JV Octofinalist
Hayden Mittlestat - JV 9th Place Speaker
Austin Keefe - Varsity Octofinalist, 6th Place Speaker
Dylan Hall - Varsity Octofinalist, 3rd Place Speaker

Hannah Morris, the coach of the UARK Speech and Debate Team, was named the Bennett Strange Coach of the Year for the 2025-2026 season, an award voted upon by the general population of the IPDA at the tournament itself.

The team's successes would not have been possible without the support of the Diane Blair Center for Southern Politics and Society, as well as the support of the Department of History. The team would also like to thank the College of Engineering for their support of Luke Thurmon and Matthew Cook. 

If you or someone you know is interested in joining the team, please reach out to Coach Hannah Morris (hannahm@uark.edu) or new president Dylan Hall (dah030@uark.edu).