UK Debate Wins Naval Academy Tournament

The Kentucky Intercollegiate Debate team is off to a fast start for the Spring 2021 debate season.
Kentucky Intercollegiate Debate is off to a fast start for the Spring 2021 debate season.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 26, 2021) — The Kentucky Intercollegiate Debate team, housed in the College of Communication and Information at the University of Kentucky, is off to a fast start for the Spring 2021 debate season with an impressive win at their first tournament, a three-day event hosted by the United States Naval Academy this month.

The team of David Griffin (freshman) and Jordan Di (freshman) finished as champions with a 9-1 record, defeating a host of strong teams along the way including Emory University, Dartmouth College, Georgetown University and the University of Michigan.

“The Naval Academy tournament is something the team prepares especially hard for every season. The fact that Jordan and David accomplished this in their first year speaks volumes about their maturity and ability,” said UK Debate Director David Arnett.

UK Debate is currently preparing for their next tournament hosted by Northwestern University and will then turn their attention toward their virtual post-season tournament preparations.

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.