KU Debate qualifies 3rd team for National Debate Tournament
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas debate team of freshmen John Marshall, of Lawrence, and Jiyoon Park, of Topeka, have qualified for the National Debate Tournament, which will take place March 30-April 4 in Chantilly, Virginia.
Marshall and Park were selected as at-large qualifiers for the National Debate Tournament by the NDT Selection Committee based on their record over the course of the season. They are the third KU pair to qualify for the national tournament this year. The freshman duo joins seniors Mickey McMahon, of Leawood, and Michael Scott, of Glenview, Illinois; and Jimin Park, of Topeka, and Jet Semrick, of Prairie Village, who had already qualified for the NDT.
To qualify as a third team, a duo must be one of the six best third teams in the country over the season.
“Qualifying for the NDT as a third team is incredibly difficult and John and Jiyoon earned it with a remarkable season,” said Scott Harris, the David B. Pittaway Director of the Debate.
The other schools who qualified three teams to the NDT are Emory University, Georgetown University, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wake Forest University. This is the eight straight year that KU has qualified three teams for the NDT and the 56th consecutive year of qualifying one or more teams to compete at the NDT. KU has won the National Debate Tournament six times and reached the final four 19 times. McMahon and Scott advanced to the final four at last year’s championship.