Debate Team Eyes High-Level Competition and Championship Run

On September 30, the Brother Rice Debate Team showcased its prowess at the West Bloomfield High School Invitational. Sophomore Matheus Pinto clinched a remarkable first-place overall individual varsity speaker award. Senior Justin Ahn secured a seventh-place individual varsity speaker trophy, while junior Quinn Callahan earned a tenth-place individual varsity speaker trophy.

Moving forward, the Debate Warriors participated in the Pappas Invitational at Wayne State on October 14, where freshman Novice Debaters Gino Del Pup and Patrick Szura finished with an impressive 5-1 record. Their sole loss occurred in the final championship match. Patrick Szura, among 62 debaters, earned a well-deserved second-place individual speaker award.

At the Varsity level, senior Debaters Justin Ahn and Nick Hulgrave finished with a 4-2 record, advancing to the championship match and narrowly losing on a 2-1 ballot. Additionally, Justin Ahn and Junior Henry Clement both secured 5th place individual speaker awards, tying on the total number of individual speaker points in a field of 54 debaters.

On November 12, the Debate Warriors excelled at the Groves Invitational. In the Novice Division, Brother Rice placed three teams in the Sweet Sixteen out of 60 competing teams. Notably, the freshman teams of Joey Kosovec and Martin Juncaj, Collin Barbat and Reece Rolands, and Gino Del Pup and Patrick Szura achieved this feat. On the Varsity Level, in a field of 45 teams, Brother Rice placed two teams in the Sweet 16: seniors Justin Ahn and Nick Hulgrave, and juniors Quinn Callaghan and Henry Clement, who finished with a 4-1 record. Individually, out of 90 debaters, senior Justin Ahn received a second-place speaker award, senior Nick Hulgrave a fifth-place speaker award, junior Quinn Callaghan an eleventh-place speaker award, and sophomore Caden Hong a twenty-fifth place speaker award.

Looking ahead, the Brother Rice Debate Team is gearing up for the competition at Dexter High School on December 2 as part of their preparation for the State Championship at Wayne State University on December 16.

Anticipating future success, four Brother Rice teams are set to compete at Harvard University in Boston in February 2024, with the goal of increasing representation at the National Championship in Chicago in May 2024.