UK Debate wins 2024 Hoosier Invitational Tournament
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 2, 2024) — University of Kentucky Debate Team members Jared Adam and Lauren McBlain led the team to first place at the University of Indiana Hoosier Invitational. Over three days, the partnership won with a perfect score of 10-0 against 20 universities across 16 states. The pair defeated University of Kansas, Macalester University and University of Michigan in the elimination rounds, and Northwestern University in the final round. Two other Kentucky partnerships also advanced to the elimination rounds.
"We are very proud of Jared and Lauren's accomplishments in winning both speaker awards and a championship in a very competitive tournament field,” Associate Debate Director Adrienne Brovero said. “We are also immensely proud that this was a product of a true team effort across the entire squad."
Following this tournament, the team competed in the University of Minnesota's online tournament, and both UK partnerships reached the elimination rounds — one a quarterfinalist and the other a semifinalist. For their next competition, the team will travel to Austin, Texas to represent UK at the University of Texas Invitational.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.