Debate team wins sweepstakes

For the third time in four years the Liberty Debate Team has accomplished a feat that no other school has been able to match — winning the sweepstakes championship in debate’s three governing organizations in a single season.

Avenging their narrow loss to Binghamton University in the 2008 National Debate Tournament (NDT) and Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) rankings, Liberty jumped out to an early season lead and never looked back. While the Binghamton debaters matched their strong performance from a year ago, the Flames showed significant improvement, outpacing Binghamton by 32 NDT points and 15 CEDA points. In the NDT rankings, Liberty amassed 594 points, the second highest point total in school history. In CEDA, the Flames earned 196 points, setting a new school and CEDA record. 2009 marks the sixth consecutive year Liberty has claimed the American Debate Association (ADA) championship. In its history, the Liberty Debate Team has now earned 25 National Rankings Championships, including 10 in the last four years.

The team only loses two seniors to graduation this year, making it the preseason favorite in next year’s sweepstakes race.

National Debate Tournament (NDT) Final Rankings

1. Liberty University
2. Binghamton University
3. Oklahoma University
4. Emory University
5. University of Kansas
6. Wake Forest University
7. U.S. Military Academy
8. Northwestern University
9. Boston College
10. Wichita State University

Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) Final Ranking

1. Liberty University
2. Binghamton University
3. Oklahoma University
4. University of Kansas
5. Emory University
6. Boston College
7. Wake Forest University
8. Mary Washington University
9. Wichita State University
10. U.S. Military Academy

American Debate Association (ADA) Final Rankings

1. Liberty University
2. Mary Washington University
3. George Mason University
4. Clarion University
5. James Madison University
6. Wayne State University
7. Vanderbilt University
8. Emory University
9. John Carroll University