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Rupp Debate Enjoys Season of Success


Members of ISU's Rupp Debate team.

Idaho State’s Rupp Debate Squad has kicked off its 2019-2020 season with wins at several regional tournaments.

The team took first at the Hunt Classic Invitational Debate Tournament in Portland, Oregon, and at the Northwest Trapper Forensic Tournament in Powell, Wyoming. The defending national public forum champions also maintained their winning streak with many placings by team members.

“I'm incredibly proud of the work and enthusiasm our team members have, not just for their own success but for their teammates as well,” said Rupp Debate vice president Rianne Quigley. 

Most recently, Madi Brown and Abbey Vaughn tied with their teammates, Jazzy Carranza and Matt Yee, to share top honors in the Climb the Mountain online debate tournament on Oct. 27. 

At the Hunt Classic on Oct. 17, president Kaden Marchetti and his teammate Jett Smith took first in the British Parliamentary competition. Marchetti and another partner, freshman Joseph Tyler, bested 20 British Parliamentary teams at the Northwest Trapper Forensic Tournament on Sept. 21.

Freshman Madisen Merrill won gold in Novice Parliamentary Debate at the Fran Tanner Open on Oct. 1. Marchetti and Merrill also earned second-place awards at the Meghan Towles British Parliamentary Masterclass and Tournament. At that tournament, Smith and Carranza placed fourth.

Even more important than these wins is the support teammates express toward one another, said Quigley, who took fifth at the Fran Tanner Open and fourth at the Northwest Trapper Forensic Tournament.

“It's always thrilling to watch our team be competitive and place consistently, but I don't think those achievements particularly mean anything without the team work and genuine care to back them up,” Quigley said. “So seeing our team be so eager to help and support each other means, to me, that the team is doing something right and creating something more important than any trophy.”


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