The Monmouth University Debate Hawks won eight team and individual speaker awards at a tournament hosted by the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Oct. 24 and 25. The event featured debate teams from eight other colleges and universities including the University of Houston, University of New Mexico, Trinity College, and University of Texas – San Antonio, among others.
This year, the American Debate Association had students argue the contention that the United States federal government should substantially reduce arms transfers from the U.S. to one or more of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of China, the Republic of the Philippines, the State of Israel, Ukraine, and the United Mexican States.
16 Monmouth students competed in the tournament as teams of two, with each team recording victories at the six-round competition. The varsity division featured teams of Sophie Schaub and Aiden Fornicola; Paige Campbell and Kym Davis; and Abigail Branstetter and Emma Levinson. The novice division included teams of Gurvind Dehar and Jazmine Martinez; Zulmy Lozano and Camila Leonardo; Jayla Osorio and Karla Gonzalez; Parker Smith and Sam Chipman; and Ilyana Balaj and Hanon Carroll.
Novice teams Dehar/Martinez and Osorio/Gonzalez received an award for advancing to the semi-final playoff round. Four Monmouth debaters in the novice division received an individual speaking award: Carroll (4th place), Leonardo (5th place); Balaj (6th place); and Chipman (10th place). In the varsity division, Schaub (9th place) and Fornicola (10th place) also earned speaking awards.
The debate team’s next competition is the Jersey Shore Invitational hosted by Monmouth University on Nov. 21 and 22.
“A special thanks to our teams captains Sophie Schaub and Aiden Fornicola who worked hard preparing the team in the weeks leading up to the tournament,” said Joe Patten, Ph.D., professor of political science and advisor of the debate team. “Thanks also to Mike Makfinsky ’25 and Mariami Ramirez ’26 for helping coach our debaters this weekend.”
Students interested in joining the Debate Hawks can contact Patten at jpatten@monmouth.edu.
