UK Intercollegiate Debate Team Has Strong Start to Spring Semester

The University of Kentucky Intercollegiate Debate Team, housed in the College of Communication and Information, started off the spring 2022 semester with some big wins, in what David Arnett, the director of debate at UK, said was “its most successful result of the season.”

The team competed at the Georgetown University Open on Jan. 3 through Jan.6. The competition included 18 universities from across the country competing over the four-day event. Sophomores David Griffith and Jordan Di took second place. Griffith and Di finished the preliminary rounds as the second overall seed with a 5-1 record. The duo defeated teams from the University of Pennsylvania, Wake Forest University, University of Southern California, Michigan State University and University of Michigan on their journey to victory. In the elimination rounds, the sophomores defeated the University of Minnesota and Dartmouth College before falling to Northwestern University in the final round.

“Reaching the final round of one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country was a tremendous way to start the second semester,” Arnett said. “I couldn’t be prouder of how the team and coaches came together. We are all excited about what comes next and looking forward to the challenge of the postseason.”

The team's next competition is the virtual University of Texas Austin Open during the first weekend in February. Once that competition is over, the team will turn its attention to the postseason.