For Immediate Release: March 20, 2002
MWC DEBATE TEAM WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE NATIONAL TITLE
Fredericksburg, Va. - The Mary Washington College Debate Team won its second consecutive national championship at the American Debate Association's 17th Annual National Championship Tournament held at Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C., March 7 through 11, defeating second place Liberty University and third place Wayne State University.
In the final debate of the tournament, a team of freshmen, Joseph Packer of Williamsburg and Om Jahagirdar of Richmond, claimed the top prize for first year debaters by defeating a team from Liberty University.
"For MWC to win two years in a row with different debaters is a remarkable accomplishment," said Timothy O'Donnell, director of debate at the college. " . "Although it was a win for Packer and Jahagirdar, it was really a victory for the hard work and dedication of every member of the team who has worked so hard since the beginning of June. This was a total squad effort and it took everyone's total effort to make it happen."
In addition to Packer and Jahagirdar, several other MWC teams were recognized at the tournament. In the first-year debater division, freshmen Kacy Zuchowski of Wellsboro, Penn., and Jennifer Golladay, of Newark, Del., finished in fifth place, while freshmen Lisa Maloney of Stafford and Nicole Hale, of Battersea, Ontario, finished 10th. In the Junior Varsity division, the pairing of junior Nora Cronin of East Meadow, N.Y., and sophomore Adrianne Barnett of Dumfries, as well as sophomores John Nagy of Springfield and Michael Hagan of Yardley, Penn., finished in ninth place.
Several students earned individual recognition for their performances including Cronin, Hagan, Zuchowski, Packer and Jahagidar. Cronin was a semi-finalist for the prestigious Julia Burke Award, which is given annually to the college debater who best exemplifies "excellence in and passion for debate in combination with dedication to maintaining friendships despite the pressures of competition."
The 2001-02 intercollegiate debate topic was: "Resolved: That the Federal Government should substantially increase federal control throughout Indian Country." Throughout the course of the year, debates focused on a wide variety of topics including: the relationship between the Federal Government, states, and federally recognized Indian tribes; nuclear waste storage in Skull Valley, Utah; the effectiveness of tribal courts; land management and the protection of endangered species on reservations; implementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act; preservation of Native American cultural artifacts; intellectual property rights; and reservation gaming.
Although the season's ending rankings for all tournaments will not be completed until early April, the Mary Washington College debate program currently is ranked 10th by the National Debate Tournament and fourth by the American Debate Association for its performance throughout the 2001-02 season. According to O'Donnell, "This puts us in pretty good company. It shows that we can compete with the very best - like Harvard, Dartmouth, Berkeley and Wake Forest, and that the process of building the College's debate program is on track." The next season starts in early June when the 2002-03 topic is announced.
For more information about the MWC Debate Team, call O'Donnell at (540) 654-1252.
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