Current Team

Coaching Staff

Dave Arnett - Director of Debate

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Dave is the Director of Debate at the University of Kentucky. He coached the 2019 national champions and the runners up on two separate occasions (2004, 2005). Dave has coached 14 teams to a top five national ranking. He was selected the Ross Smith National Coach of the Year in 2009 and voted runner-up for Coach of the 2000s. He was voted the 2015 American Debate Association coach of the year. He is the Director of five national college and high school tournaments including the Tournament of Champions which collectively bring over 3000 participants annually to the UK campus. Dave has spearheaded UK Debate’s international outreach effort which has included projects in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Lincoln Garrett - Head Debate Coach

Lincoln graduated from Liberty University in 2012 with a B.S. in history. During his senior he won the ADA national tournament, made it to the octafinals of the National Debate Tournament and was one of the eight teams to make it to the elimination rounds of every national tournament that year. Lincoln has coached debate since 2012 with his teams from Liberty and Kentucky making elimination appearances at every national tournament including the elimination rounds of the National Debate Tournament.

Caitlin Walrath - Assistant Debate Coach

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Caitlin graduated last year from the University of Michigan with a BS in Psychology. While at Michigan, she was an NDT semifinalist and octafinalist, a first round bid recipient, and 3x champion of the Hoosier Invitational held at Indiana University. Before attending Michigan, she debated at Rowland Hall and Juan Diego Catholic high schools in Salt Lake City, UT. She also coaches for Notre Dame Catholic high school in Los Angeles, CA.

Linda Barker- Administrative Assistant

Linda began working in the UK Debate Office on September 25, 1989, just in time for her first Kentucky Thoroughbred Round Robin and Henry Clay Debate Tournaments. J. W. Patterson was the Director of Debate at that time. She has enjoyed becoming friends with the UK debaters through the years and still stays with touch with many of them.