Bulldogs Rock the Music City

Oct 23, 2006

Samford Debate just returned from an incredibly successful tournament at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

In the novice division, first timers Heather Powell and Steven Bonham scored a winning record in the preliminary rounds and advanced all the way to the semifinals (final four) of the tournament, defeating teams from the University of Florida, Vanderbilt, Piedmont, and Emory University along the way. Suzanne Goddard and Anna Cushman also had a successful tournament, with wins against Miami and the University of Florida. Goddard was also named the sixth best novice speaker at the tournament in her first outing. Another success story was Brandon Graham, who, despite having to debate by himself, was named the fifth overall speaker in the novice division. The young Bulldogs had a great outing and a wonderful time in the music city.

Samford had a fantastic performance in the varsity division as well, with two teams scoring winning preliminary records. Senior John Wilkerson and sophomore Chad Macumber had a winning record in the preliminary rounds and advanced to the "elite eight" of the tournament. Sophomore Erin Ramsey and first year Logan Gramzinski also scored a winning record in the preliminary rounds and advancing to the "sweet sixteen" of the tournament. Finally, Josh Smith and David Williams, who moved up from Junior Varsity to Varsity, scored wins against Louisville and Florida State. Overall, the squad defeated numerous regional rivals and had a great time in the music city.

The squad's next trip is to Detroit, Michigan for the Wayne State Tournament. Wish the squad luck up in the Motor City!