UH debate team stays on top

MANOA—Members of the University of Hawaii at Manoa Debate and Forensics Society have successfully defended their Hawaii championship status with victories at the inter-varsity British Parliamentary (BP) debate tournament. The event featured 28 teams from the United States, Canada, and Korea from February 19 to 20 at Hawaii Pacific University.

The UH Manoa team won the island division for the second year in a row and came in second overall in the tournament. Team captain Daniel Hugo was awarded second place in individual speaking among 56 competitors.

En route to the elimination rounds, UH Manoa debaters defeated teams from strong programs such as New York University, Northwest, Seattle, and HPU.

The A team, consisting of Hugo and Eliot St. John, was seeded after preliminary rounds and competed in a tight final, facing teams from La Verne, York University (Canada), and McNeese State. B team members Christian Gilbert and Kyle Dahlin narrowly missed the semis. And, after six rounds, the C team of Keoni Davey and Jay-me Morita made it to the semi-finals, seeded fourth overall.

The Manoa team has been in existence for only two years, and is directed by Department of Speech Assistant Professor Robert Boller.