This past week, the University of Michigan Debate Program won the 2024 National Debate Tournament in Atlanta for the first time in the program's history. The U-M team is led by Kelly Phil, a political science major, and Bennett Dombcik, a philosophy major.
The 78th annual tournament, which took place at Emory University, featured 78 teams representing 47 universities and colleges. Two-person teams debate each other on a yearlong topic concerning the U.S. nuclear weapons policy.
U-M’s team finished the preliminary rounds with a 7-1 record. In the elimination rounds, Michigan defeated Michigan State University 4-1, Georgetown University 4-1, California State University at Long Beach 4-1, and Emory University 3-2 before beating Kansas in the championship round.
