The University of North Texas Debate Team is committed to excellence in public policy debate at the national and regional levels. The UNT Debate Team, directed by Brian Lain, participates actively in the NDT (National Debate Tournament) and CEDA (Cross-Examination Debate Association) and attends 15-20 tournaments each year, including: Wake Forest, Northwestern, Southern California, Central Oklahoma, Georgia State, West Georgia, and Baylor. Since 1983, North Texas has qualified for the NDT in 19 of the 20 years. In 1962, the North Texas team of Anne Hodges and John Swaney finished as a quarterfinalist. In 1986, the team of Matt Caligur and Keith Woods finished as an octafinalist.In 1997, UNT was one of only eight colleges and universities in the nation to be represented in the elimination rounds of the National Debate Tournament and the CEDA national tournament. At the NDT, the North Texas team of Eli Holloway and Cody Morrow advanced to the first elimination round (the round of 32 teams). Two weeks later at the CEDA national tournament, Holloway and Morrow defeated teams from Florida State, Arizona State, and UM-KC before losing in the quarterfinals. UNT debater Cody Morrow was named to the All American Debate Team at the CEDA national tournament and is currently an assistant coach for UNT.
In Spring 1998, for the first time in its history, UNT received a first-round at-large invitation to the National Debate Tournament. Holloway and Morrow earned this prestigious on the basis of their win-loss record at major national tournaments during the year. As a result of this honor, UNT entered the 1998 National Debate Tournament (on the campus of the University of Utah) ranked as one of the top 16 teams in the nation. Immediately prior to attending the NDT, Holloway and Morrow will compete in the CEDA national tournament at the University of Rochester.
In 1999, the team of Kenda Cunningham and Eli Holloway tied the record for deepest elimination round appearance at the NDT, when they ended up as quarterfinalists in the NDT held at Wayne State University. In 2001 the team of Kenda Cunningham and John Hines received the second ever first-round at-large invitation to attend the NDT held at Baylor University. At the NDT Cunningham and Hines would fall in the octafinals, only after winning a tough double octafinals debate verses Gonzaga University.
In Spring 2002, the teams of Sykes and Patel along with Julian Gagnon and Scotty Gottbreht would represent UNT at the NDT held at Southwest Missouri State University. After a tough draw the team of Sykes and Patel made an appearance in the double octafinals.
This year the team of Nirav Patel and Johnny Prier became only the 3rd team ever in the history of UNT debate to win a first-round at-large invitation to the NDT being held on the campus of Catholic University in Washington, DC. This is only possible after winning the UT-Dallas tournament, being the top seed at Kentucky Debate Tournament, appearing in the semifinals of Northwestern, quarterfinals at Georgia State and Participating in the Kentucky round robin.
For the first time ever in the history of the debate program, UNT teamed up with the University of Texas at Dallas to host the Texas Two Step, a college swing tournament. From January 3-5 the UNT Debate Team hosted 63 college debate teams from as far away as Vermont and as close as Baylor to compete in a national debate tournament. Immediately following the UNT tournament the University of Texas at Dallas hosted a second tournament that allowed college teams to participate in two tournaments over the period of one week.
Brian Lain, the Director of Debate and Forensics at UNT, is a full-time faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies, and he directs a staff of assistant coaches that include: Cassey Kelly, Travis Neal, Cody Morrow, and John Hines. All of the assistant coaches are active in research, coaching, judging, and travel. The debate team enjoys the support of the students, the faculty, and the university administration. At UNT, the debate team is an integral part of the Department of Communication Studies, and the department chair, Dr. John Gossett, is a former director of debate at UNT
Participation on the North Texas Debate Team is open to all undergraduate students in the university.
For information on debate at UNT, please contact:
Brian Lain
UNT Box 305268
Denton, TX 76203-5268
E-mail: blain@unt.edu
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