KU News Release

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas debate team of Dylan Quigley, Wichita senior, and Sean Kennedy, Leawood junior, made it to the Final Four at the Cross Examination Debate Association National Championship Tournament held March 24-28 at the University of California-Berkeley.

A second KU team of Christopher Stone, Derby senior, and Patrick Kennedy, Leawood junior, took fifth place at the tournament. Stone was also named to the CEDA All American Debate Squad, an honor that recognizes students who demonstrate competitive and academic success and good conduct and contribute to their debate squad.

The CEDA tournament concluded three consecutive weekends of national championship tournaments for the KU team in the debate version of March Madness.

“I am very proud of the success of this year’s squad,” said Scott Harris, KU debate coach. “The debaters worked incredibly hard and the assistant coaches did an amazing job preparing them for debates. The national tournaments were an exhausting but very rewarding experience.”

At the CEDA tournament, the Quigley-Kennedy and Stone-Kennedy teams each won 11 debates over three days to advance to the Elite Eight at the tournament. A team from the University of Oklahoma won the tournament that involved 208 intercollegiate teams from across the country.

Quigley-Kennedy defeated the top seed from the University of Texas-Dallas while Stone-Kennedy lost a 2-1 split decision to the second-seeded team from the University of California-Berkeley. Quigley-Kennedy advanced to the Final Four before losing to Whitman College.

A third KU team of Mathew Petersen, Wichita senior, and Mark Wilkins, Topeka sophomore, finished in 17th place at the tournament. Also representing KU at the CEDA tournament was the team of Melanie Campbell, Lenexa sophomore, and Andrew Jack, Lawrence and Manhattan junior.

The CEDA tournament followed on the heels of the National Debate Tournament held March 19-22 at Berkeley. The NDT is composed of an elite field of the top 78 teams in the country who qualified for the tournament. For the first time in 17 years — and only the second time in the 64-year-history of KU debate — three KU teams qualified for the NDT.

At the NDT, Quigley-Kennedy advanced to the Sweet 16 before losing to the eventual tournament winner from Michigan State University. Stone-Kennedy qualified for the single-elimination rounds before losing to Wake Forest University. Petersen-Wilkins went 4-4 at the tournament.

The trifecta of national tournaments had begun with the National Junior Division Debate Tournament, a national championship tournament for students in their first two years of college debate hosted March 13-15 by Johnson County Community College in Overland Park.

The KU team of Melanie Campbell and Patrick Kennedy went 10-0 to win the tournament and capture the underclass national championship. Kennedy won the award as the top individual debater at the tournament.

Debate team members are listed below by hometown, year in school, major, parents’ names and high school.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence 66049 and Manhattan
Andrew Dylan Jack, junior in chemical engineering; son of Steven Jack of Lawrence and Pamela Jack of Manhattan; Manhattan High School.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Leawood 66206
Patrick Kennedy, junior in economics and Spanish; son of Chris and Joan Kennedy; Shawnee Mission East High School.

Sean Kennedy, junior in linguistics; son of Chris and Joan Kennedy; Shawnee Mission East High School.

From Lenexa 66215
Melanie Tara Campbell, sophomore in political science; daughter of Kevin and Petra Campbell; Shawnee Mission West High School, Overland Park.

RILEY COUNTY
From Manhattan 66503 and Lawrence
Andrew Dylan Jack. See DOUGLAS COUNTY

SEDGWICK COUNTY
From Derby 67037
Christopher Douglas Stone, senior in political science; son of Douglas and Gloria Stone; Derby High School.

From Wichita 67208 and 67218
Dylan Quigley, senior in philosophy; son of Tim Quigley (67218) and Trix Niemberger (67208); Wichita High School East.

From Wichita 67218
Mathew Petersen, senior in economics; son of Laura Peterson-Miller and Virgil Miller; Wichita High School East.

SHAWNEE COUNTY
From Topeka 66604 and 66610
Mark Wilkins, sophomore in political science, son of Brent Wilkins (66610) and Janis Hinkle (66604); Washburn Rural High School.