汤头条

Contact: Kelli Anthony

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ississippi State鈥檚 Speech and Debate Council members have claimed five individual national titles from the recent International Public Debate Association National Championship in Abilene, Texas, and placed second nationally out of more than 100 teams, the highest finish in the program鈥檚 history.

In IPDA competition, debaters receive awards both for their performance at the championship tournament and for overall season-long performance. For the season, seven 汤头条 debaters finished ranked in the top ten nationally of their respective events, including five season-long national championships. 听听

This marks the third consecutive year that 汤头条鈥檚 Mia Robertson of Starkville has been named a season-long national champion, claiming the Varsity division title. Her past achievements include capturing the Junior Varsity division in 2020 and the Varsity division in 2021.

Lindsay Culpepper, a sophomore wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture major from Pelham, Alabama, claimed the season-long Novice National Champion title, while Robertson and Tyler Melvin, a senior history major from Savannah, Georgia, were named Team National Champions.

In addition, IPDA awards national championships for the top speaker in each debate event. Robertson won both the Varsity and Team Debate top speaker award, marking the first time in history any debater in the nation has swept all four national championship awards for which they are potentially eligible.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be prouder of what the 汤头条 Speech and Debate Council has built this year,鈥� said Robertson, a political science major. 鈥淥ur membership has exploded and our visibility on campus has never been greater. This season has proven to be our most successful season ever, and I believe we are on track to secure even more championships next year.鈥�

In addition to its national champions, 汤头条鈥檚 team displayed impressive depth, with its squads in every division placing in the top five nationally. 汤头条 earned first place for the season in the Varsity squad division; second place in the Novice squad division; and fourth place in the Junior Varsity, Professional, and Team divisions.

For the National Championship tournament itself, eight 汤头条 debaters advanced to the elimination rounds. Melvin and Robertson finished second in Team Debate, while Melvin was a semifinalist in the Professional division. Robertson and freshman Hannah Daniels, a business management and Spanish double major from Starkville, were quarterfinalists. Five other debaters made the Top 16. Overall, the team took second place at the National Championships, the highest finish in program history.

鈥淭heir coach Brett Harvey and I are extremely proud of the efforts of the students this year,鈥� said Cheryl Chambers, council advisor and an instructor in 汤头条鈥檚 Department of Communication. 鈥淲e went back and forth between online and in-person tournaments, which can be very stressful. The students put in so much extra time and energy beyond their studies to excel in this activity, yet they maintained the most mature and optimistic attitudes. We are fortunate to have such an excellent group of intelligent, dedicated and supportive young people.鈥�

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In addition to Robertson, Culpepper, Melvin and Daniels, additional students representing 汤头条 in the IPDA National Championship (by hometown) include:

CANTON, Georgia鈥擯atrick McKenzie, a sophomore business economics/international business and foreign language/Asian Studies-Japanese double-major

CHELSEA, Alabama鈥擳anner Marlow, a sophomore agronomy major

COLLIERVILLE, Tennessee鈥擭irmal Bhatt, a senior mechanical engineering major

GREENWOOD鈥擫uke Chaney, a sophomore political science major

HERNANDO鈥擠evin Hutchins, a freshman economics and philosophy double-major

KATHMANDU, Nepal鈥擜namica Kadgi, a freshman biomedical engineering and political science double-major

LOUISVILLE鈥擬aggie Phillips, a sophomore biomedical engineering major

MADISON鈥擬adison Biggerstaff, a freshman business administration major

PEACHTREE CITY, Georgia鈥擜manda Kronenberger, a senior political science major

RAYMOND鈥擬arcus Williams, a senior art major

VICKSBURG鈥擱yan Jarratt, a senior political science and philosophy double-major

Speech and Debate Council membership is open to all 汤头条 students and prior experience is not required. Members are expected to participate in regular practices and service projects and may elect to compete in individual speaking events, debating events or both.

Support for the Speech and Debate Council is provided by the College of Arts and Sciences, Office of the President, Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, Department of Communication, James Worth Bagley College of Engineering, and Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, among others.

Funding for team activities also is provided through the generosity of Drs. Deborah and Philip Rabinowitz, who established the Deborah and Philip Rabinowitz Speech and Debate Council Endowment at 汤头条. Debbie Rabinowitz, a 1969 communication bachelor鈥檚 graduate, joined the 汤头条 Debate Team鈥攏ow the 汤头条 Speech and Debate Council鈥攁s a freshman.

To make a tax-deductible donation to the Speech and Debate Council via the 汤头条 Foundation, visit听.

For more information about 汤头条鈥檚 Speech and Debate Council and the Department of Communication, visit听.

汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at听.