WKU News

WKU Forensics wrapped its policy debate season and Lincoln-Douglas debate regular season with key awards at multiple debate competitions.

Senior Rae Fournier of Woodbridge, Va.; freshman Riley Ney of Newton, Kan.; senior Joshua St-Peter of Canton, Ga.; and junior Nik Schintgen of Lansing, Kan., were invited to the 80th National Debate tournament (NDT) hosted by the University of Houston from March 27-30. 

Only 78 partnerships in the country receive an invite each year to compete in debates, the oldest and most prestigious policy debate competition in the United States. This is WKU Forensics’ second year attending the NDT, and the first year to receive invites for two partnerships.  

At the tournament, WKU logged wins over the Naval Academy, Michigan State University, Missouri State University, George Mason University, West Point, Wichita State University and the University of Texas-Dallas.

Fournier and Ney reached a record of 4-3 before losing a narrow 2-1 decision to New York University in the eighth round.

WKU Forensics also competed at the American Debate Association Nationals (ADA) at Emory University from March 7-9 for the first time. 

Ney and Fournier, alongside freshman Vaden Kumar of Lansing, Kan., and junior Sage Carter of Salina, Kan., reached the elimination rounds (top 32) of the open division.

Vaden Kumar was named the second speaker out of over 130 students at the tournament, the highest speaking honors any WKU student has received at a national policy debate tournament since the revamp of the policy debate team.

Director of Debate Chad Meadows was named Outstanding New Director by the American Debate Association in recognition of the successful revamp of policy debate on the Hill.

Finally, WKU Forensics won the eighth LD Grand Prix. Vaden Kumar defeated Kansas City Kansas Community College in the final round to become the first freshman champion of the Grand Prix in its history. Four other WKU Forensics students made elimination rounds of Lincoln-Douglas debate at the Grand Prix, and the team earned first place Open and Combined sweepstakes. 

“WKU Forensics continues to win national tournaments in Lincoln-Douglas debate buoyed by the efforts we’ve made to bring policy debate at the highest levels back to the Hill. When our students debate and win ballots against nationally ranked private schools like Harvard, Emory, Northwestern or against flagship public universities like Kentucky, Michigan or Kansas, it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that ‘The Spirit Makes the Master’ isn’t just a saying, but is a life ethos our students have internalized through their time with the Forensics program and also in their classes with our incredible faculty,” Meadow said.

Full results from the LD Grand Prix are as follows:

Grand Prix Speakers: Chase Shockley of Carthage, Mo., 2nd; Vaden Kumar of Newton, Kan., 3rd; JaKayla Brown of Kansas City, Kan., 5th. 

Grand Prix: Vaden Kumar, 1st; Jakayla Brown, Top 4; Chase Shockley, Top 4; Sage Carter, Top 7.

Grand Prix (JV): Kilian Reck of Coffeyville, Kan., Top 4.

More: Check out the WKU Forensics Facebook page or follow @wkuforensics  and @DebateWku on X/Twitter.

Contact: Ganer Newman, (270) 745-6340

-- WKU –

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.