Topeka
– Washburn University debate seniors Lauren Knoth, Independence, Mo., and
Joshua Ramsey, Fort Scott, defeated a Texas Tech University team to win the
championship round at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence. The
Knoth-Ramsey duo topped the nation’s best 64 intercollegiate parliamentary
debate teams competing March 17-19 at Western Washington University,
Bellingham, Wash. The other two teams in the NPTE Final Four, all top-ranked
throughout the year, were both from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Knoth also was crowned the Top Speaker at the NPTE from a field of 128
speakers, which also means the NPTE Top Speaker championship returned to Topeka
for the second year as fellow Ichabod Joe Allen, Boise, Idaho, won the award in
2011. Ramsey won the NPTE Second Place Overall Speaker award. Allen also was
recognized as the Top Preferred Judge at the 2012 NPTE tournament.
A few days later, March 21-24, Knoth and Ramsey were crowned national champions
at the National Parliamentary Debate Association Tournament at Western
Washington University, as the individual team champion over a team from Whitman
College, Walla Walla, Wash. The entire Washburn squad also won the Top Squad
Sweepstakes, edging out Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash., by one win. The
NPDA Tournament is open to all and 54 other colleges and universities competed,
such as Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; University of Colorado, Boulder;
University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore.; University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.;
University of California, Berkeley; and University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA).
Knoth also was named as a NPDA All-American, which recognizes graduating
seniors who have excelled at school, debate and community service. Only one
All-American is recognized from each of NPDA's ten districts plus three more
at-large.
Knoth, who is majoring in sociology and criminal justice with an emphasis in
security administration, is the daughter of Trish Boone and Joe Knoth and a
graduate of Truman High School. Ramsey, a legal and corporate communication
major, is the son of Laura and Joel Ramsey and graduate of Fort Scott High
School.
For more information contact Kevin O’Leary, director of forensics, 785-670-2234
or Steve Doubledee, assistant director of forensics, 785-670-2336.
Facts:
The four broad based topic areas from which individual resolutions were drawn
for each of the debates at the 2012 NPTE were protection of marine national
resources; sovereignty of European Union member states; United States tax
policy; and humanitarian assistance and/or public health efforts in North
Africa.
Across both National Parliamentary Debate Tournaments, Knoth and Ramsey debated
every single round (28 rounds total), while never losing a single debate round
at either tournament.
Their total ballot count in the elimination rounds at both National Tournaments
was 49-9.
Washburn Debate has now won the Squad Championship at the NPDA twice (2012 and
2010) in the last three years and has been in the top two squads at the NPDA
Championships for the last five years.
Washburn is now home to six different parliamentary debate championships for
the last three years: 2010 NPDA Squad Champion; 2011 NPTE top speaker champion;
2012 NPTE top speaker champion; 2012 NPTE individual team champion; 2012 NPDA
squad champion; and 2012 NPDA individual team champion.
Knoth and Ramsey also were awarded the 2012 Bellingham Cup, which celebrated
the individual debate team with the most wins in Bellingham, tracking the two
tournaments located there in January at the Mile High at Sea Level tournament
(the biggest invitational of the year) as well as the two national tournaments
this past week.
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Amanda Hughes, university relations, (785) 670-2153
