KU one of just 6 schools, and the only public university, to send 3 debate teams to national championship tourney

photo by: University of Kansas

KU debate team members Jacob Wilkus and Owen Williams are pictured.

The University of Kansas is again one of the few schools in the country that will have three teams competing for a championship in next month’s National Debate Tournament.

KU earlier this season had qualified two teams for the national championship, but a third team was recently chosen as an at-large selection for the tournament, which will take place April 5-8 in Atlanta.

Only five other schools — all private universities — have three teams qualified for the tournament this year. Those are Dartmouth, Emory, Georgetown, Northwestern and Wake Forest.

This is the ninth consecutive year KU has qualified three teams for the national tournament. KU is a perennial contender for the national championship in debate, having won six national titles. KU has competed in the tournament 57 consecutive years and has reached the final four 19 times.

The three teams that will compete for KU this season are:

• Juniors Jacob Wilkus, Lawrence, and Owen Williams, Lee’s Summit. This team was the at-large selection.

• Seniors Graham Revare, Shawnee, and William Soper, Bucyrus.

• Seniors John Marshall, Lawrence, and Jiyoon Park, Topeka.

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