�㽶ֱ��

Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—With strong individual and team performances in a recent intercollegiate competition, the Mississippi State Speech and Debate Council’s 2016-17 academic year is off to a great start.

The Hub City Swing tournament held earlier this week in Hattiesburg pitted the university’s seven-member team against more than 150 competitors from 30 institutions of higher learning from around the country.

In addition to earning a second-place finish among speech and debate teams, the �㽶ֱ��team finished fourth among debate teams.

Held on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi, the 2016 Hub City Swing is among numerous events sanctioned annually by the Council of Forensic Organizations’ International Public Debate Association. For more, visit .  

The �㽶ֱ��winners include:

—Freshman Joshua T. “Josh” McCoy of Hattiesburg, a chemical engineering major who was named first place speaker in the Junior Varsity debate division.

 —Douglas G. “Doug” Bedsaul of Starkville, who was named first place speaker in Professional debate. An �㽶ֱ��political science bachelor’s and master’s graduate, he serves as coordinator for the university’s National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision.

—Junior Mackenzie N. Ellis, a business administration major from Clinton, who was named fourth place speaker in the Junior Varsity debate division.

—Junior Athena E. Kavanagh, a business economics major from Huntsville, Alabama, who was named fourth place speaker in the IPDA Novice division. She is serving as the organization’s 2016-17 president.

—In the Team IPDA Debate challenge, McCoy and teammate Parker F. Krag of Hattiesburg finished eighth out of 18 teams. A senior English and history double-major and the organization’s vice president of debate, Krag also was named fifth place speaker in the Team IPDA competition.

Other 2016-17 officers include William A. Bonduris, a sophomore political science major from Greenville, South Carolina, secretary; Julia Rachel Kuehnle, a sophomore business administration major from Natchez, treasurer; and Colleen E. Mcinnis, a junior art major from Valrico, Florida, vice president of speech.

Cheryl R. Chambers, a communication department instructor, serves as the council’s adviser and speech coach. A 2006 summa cum laude �㽶ֱ��communication graduate, she also holds a master’s degree in communication studies from the University of Alabama.

Attorney Brett Harvey is the council’s debate coach. The university’s director of Title IX and equal employment opportunity programs, he is a Harvard University Law School graduate.

Support for the Speech and Debate Council is provided by the Office of the President, Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, Department of Communication, African American Studies Program, and Department of Philosophy and Religion.

Membership is open to all �㽶ֱ��students, regardless of academic major or classification. Fees or prior experience are not required, and members may elect to compete in individual events, larger debate settings or both.

 “We have various majors in our group and always encourage others to come see what we do,” Chambers said.

For more information about MSU’s Speech and Debate Team, contact Chambers at CChambers@comm.msstate.edu or Harvey at brett.harvey@msstate.edu.

Follow the group on Facebook and Twitter @msuspeechdebate, as well as Instagram @msu_speechanddebate.

�㽶ֱ��is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at .