Western Debaters Finish 1-2 at National Debate Tournament

The Western Debate team participated in the National Parliamentary Debate Association Championship Tournament in March, where Western students Ashley Tippins, a junior from Lynden, and Kenny Torre, a senior from Mount Vernon, were recognized as the 1^st and 2^nd best individual debaters at the tournament.  

Held March 19 through March 21 hosted by California State University, Long Beach, the tournament featured 54 schools, with 163 two-person teams and 326 individual competitors. The tournament consisted of eight preliminary rounds.

Western’s team was made up of Tippins and Torre, as well as Shawn Plascencia from Pico Rivera, California, Serena Fitzgerald from Wenatchee, Forrest Dimond from Washougal, and Samantha Sandoz from Bellingham.

For more information, contact Steve Woods, Western Washington associate professor of Communication Studies and director of Forensics at (360) 650-4879, or steven.woods@wwu.edu.