Published on March 25, 2015  

The Samford University debate team of Erin Carley (psychology) and Natalie Bennie (communication studies) earned honors at the Cross-Examination Debate Association (CEDA) national tournament March 19-23 at Wichita State University.

The pair defeated teams from Johnson County Community College, the University of Texas at Dallas, Rochester University, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Bennie was named a National Debate Scholar for her excellence in debate as well as her academics. She was also named one of the 30 debate All-Americans in the nation for her excellence in debate, service and scholarship.
 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, 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 6,101 students from 45 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 with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.