The Macken Debate Team after the National Tournament of Excellence in Walla Walla, Washington: From left, they’re Molly Floberg, Emma Owen, Jasper Pacheco, Adrian Lossada, and Luis Mora. Not pictured: Gavin Hussain, who competed online. / Photo courtesy Macken Debate Team
Macken Debate Team Soar to Highest Place in Over a Decade at National Tournament
At the National Tournament of Excellence, multiple teams from Saint Mary’s advance in the competition. Overall the team places sixth.
On April 25th, The Saint Mary’s Macken Debate and Speech Team traveled to Walla Walla Washington for their final tournament of the competitive debate season. After Saint Mary’s excellent performance at the National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) in Utah, Saint Mary’s went to the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE), which hosted some of the most elite debaters in the history of parliamentary debate. Historically, NPTE invites only the top 32 teams in the country to compete. Saint Mary’s, a smaller and lesser-known debate program, likely wasn't viewed as competitive as some larger schools. But Macken Debate yet again proved that they were.
The top three Saint Mary’s teams competed.
Adrian Lossada ‘26 and Gavin Hussain ‘27
Saint Mary’s top performing team advanced to the runoff portions where teams with winning records face off in a win-or-go-home scenario with a winning record of 6-4. The team placed 9th in the tournament and were the first Saint Mary's team to advance in over a decade.
Emma Owen ‘27 and Molly Floberg ‘26:
The team faced some difficulty as they are new partners, partnered right before the start of NPTE. In spite of this, the team fought their way to a respectable 18th place.
Jasper Pacheco ‘27 and Luis Mora ‘27:
The Novice National Parliamentary Champions at NPDA, moved up and placed 15th in the nation competing with Open debaters, the top division in parliamentary debate, demonstrating the promise within this pair of first-year students.
After an excellent performance at NPDA placing collectively 8th overall in the tournament, Saint Mary’s had a stronger performance with better competition at NPTE, placing 6th. Overall, The Saint Mary’s debate team has shown great promise, solidifying their reputation as a new and upcoming team. With such a young team, the Saint Mary’s Macken Debate and Speech Team can only improve from here.
Want to join the Macken Debate and Speech Team? Contact coach Andrea Brown at (925) 631-4250, stop by the office, Garaventa Hall 221, or email alb11@stmarys-ca.edu.