Below is a press release from Grove City College via Merit:
GROVE CITY, PA — The Grove City College Debate Team left campus last week for Nashville to compete in the National Christian College Forensics Association (NCCFA) Invitational and returned from the tournament four days later with three national championship titles in tow.
Ten College debaters participated in the competition, with three students claiming titles and the team winning the Quality Award, which is given to the team whose entire squad had the best winning percentage across their varied entries. It is the team’s second NCCFA Quality Award in the last three years. The team also took second place in the Division II Sweepstakes.
“I am particularly proud of this performance because we had been experiencing an up-and-down season by our standards, so we adjusted our preparation and strategy heading into nationals and it paid off in a huge way,” said head coach and Professor of History Dr. Jason Edwards.
Grove City College sophomores Braeden Farley and Joshua Xu dominated in the National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) division and won the national title. Xu claimed the national NPDA title at last year’s PKD National Championship. Grove City College also comprised three of the four teams in the NPDA semifinals, closing out the final round with sophomores Collin Alexander, of Wilmington, and Calvin Boss claiming second place and the husband and wife team of juniors Benjamin and Priya Anastasi taking third.
Debate team co-captain Benjamin Anastasi took first place as Parliamentary Debate speaker, adding another title to the team’s credit. Farley placed second and Alexander won the fifth-place award in Parliamentary Debate.
Grove City College also performed very well in the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) debate format. Junior Lauren Travieso continued her strong semester, advancing to the semifinals in Varsity IPDA and taking home the fourth place IPDA Speaker Award. Freshman Stuart Hochstetler also continued to impress advancing out of the largest pool of competitors to the quarterfinals in Novice IPDA.
“I am proud of the entire team; they hit the ground running on Thursday and built on our success from our last time at the NCCFI. Everyone did well and pulled their weight in earning the Quality Award,” team co-captain Justus Carnley said.
“I was truly impressed, but also not surprised at all by the performance of all our members,” Benjamin Anastasi added.
Other schools participating in the tournament included: Cedarville University, Concordia University – Irvine, Liberty University, Northwest Nazarene, Schreiner University, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Whitworth University, William Carey University, Belmont University, Bethany Lutheran, California Baptist University, Colorado Christian University, Dordt College, Grand Canyon University, and Howard Payne University.
The team heads next to the National Educational Debate Association National Tournament in April in Detroit, Mich.
Grove City College (gcc.edu) is a highly distinctive, nationally ranked comprehensive Christian liberal arts college that equips students to pursue their unique callings through a Christ-centered, academically excellent, and affordable learning and living experience. The College is grounded in permanent ideas and conservative values, committed to the foundations of a free society, and develops leaders of the highest proficiency, purpose, and principles to advance the common good. Established in 1876, the College is a pioneer in independent private education and accepts no federal funds. It offers degrees in more than 60 undergraduate and graduate programs on a 180-acre residential campus north of Pittsburgh, Pa. U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and others identify Grove City College as one of the country’s top colleges based on academic quality, overall value, and superior outcomes.
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