WARRENSBURG, Mo. — The Talking Mules finished second in overall debate sweepstakes at their first tournament of the season. Competing in Lincoln-Douglas debate, Matt Gilmore, Jeff May, Sam Crosby and Samantha Begley represented UCM at Hutchinson Community College’s Debates on a Plain tournament.
“Overall, I am immensely proud of our competitors and the work they have done,” said Kiefer Storrer, graduate assistant to the team. “Their dedication and teamwork lead to the success of the weekend and I look forward to what this year has in store.”
Begley finished as a quarterfinalist on the first day of the tournament and Gilmore and Begley closed out finals on the second day, with Gilmore placing first and Begley placing second. Gilmore was awarded first place speaker and Crosby was awarded fifth place speaker on the second day as well. The team finished second out of the debate teams attending the tournament.
“It was a really strong way to start off the debate season,” said May, one of the team’s debate captains. “I can’t wait for more team success.”
ABOUT THE TALKING MULES
The Talking Mules speech and debate team was initiated in 1888 and is nationally and internationally renowned as one of the finest inter-collegiate, competitive forensics teams. They are currently the Mo. State Champions in Parliamentary style debate (NPDA) and Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate, have State Champion titles in individual event competitions, and hold the Montgomery Cup from the 2014 competition. The Talking Mules presently support more than 10 competitors who qualify for competitive travel.
