Bengals claim 2nd in varsity debate at National Championship Tournament

ABELINE, Texas (KIFI) – Idaho State debater Joseph Tyler argued 14 rounds of debate last weekend delivering a 12-2 win-loss record to seize silver in the final round in the varsity division of the International Parliamentary Debate Association’s 25th National Championship Tournament.

Tyler, a Pocatello senior majoring in Global Studies, competed against 100 other entries from 44 universities in his division. 

Typical topics ranged from “There has never been a good war or a bad peace” to “The US should better address foreign spies.”

He missed the first place honor on a split decision.

The Bengals’ Jordan Reynolds (Blackfoot), a graduating senior in Communication also received recognition as one of the top 30 in the varsity division. Seniors Abbey Vaughn and Alyson Tyler also debated in preliminary rounds, and later served as team researchers in the final rounds.

“This tournament is our second major success this year on the national stage, but it’s bittersweet,” Head Coach Sarah Partlow-Lefevre said. “We’re so proud of our graduating seniors, but saying goodbye is emotional for the entire team.”      

This year marks ISU’s most competitive performance at the IPDA National Tournament.