Published on September 21, 2018 by Sean Flynt  
Samford debater Sarah Emerson
Samford debater Sarah Emerson

Freshman Samford University debater Sarah Emerson dominated the Georgia State Debate Tournament earlier this month even though her Samford partner couldn’t take part in the competition. Emerson, competing alongside a debater from Missouri State University, earned second place in the tournament and was named top speaker.

Emerson defeated teams from Indiana University, the Naval Academy, the University of Central Florida, the University of Miami, the University of Houston, the University of West Georgia and the University of Florida en route to the finals. 

“This is one of the strongest performances from an incoming first-year at her first tournament,” said director of debate Ryan Galloway. “This bodes well for the future of the program to have a first-year debater have such a strong tournament.”

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.