Wiley College ‘Great Debaters’ Win National Debate Championship

The Melvin B. Tolson/Denzel Washington Forensics Society of Wiley College has added another historic feat to its list of accomplishments by winning the Overall Sweepstakes Championship of the 2014 Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament. Wiley is the first historically black college to earn this national award.
Wiley’s win comes during a record-making year for Pi Kappa Delta’s prestigious annual tournament – the 2014 event saw 80 schools (with 2,000 entries) competing to prove they have the best forensicators (speech and debate) in the country.
“We earn victories at Pi Kappa Delta each year, but this year’s overall championship victory is especially meaningful to Wiley,” said Haywood L. Strickland, Wiley’s President and CEO. “We are pleased that our students performed so well against all these strong teams. Their accomplishment is a clear reflection of the legacy of excellence at Wiley,” he said.  “We are grateful to Professor Melvin B. Tolson, Denzel Washington, and all who paved the way for this victory to occur.”
Forensic speech and debate is woven into the fabric of Wiley College. Notably, the College’s 1935 debate team, led by Professor Melvin B. Tolson, defeated the then reigning national forensics champion, University of Southern California.
The 2007 movieThe Great Debaters tells the story of this competition, and the movie’s star and director, Denzel Washington, donated the funding that helped relaunch the College’s debate team in 2008.
Wiley’s 23-member Forensics Team is coached by Chris Medina. The team will next travel to Tempe, Arizona, to compete in the American Forensics Association Nationals – a tournament of champions for selective student who qualify through earlier high tournament rankings. On the heels of that event, two members of the team will travel to Ypisilanti, Michigan, to compete in the National Forensics Association Nationals.
Wiley’s winners in the Pi Kappa Delta National Championship include:
Jhamiah Dixon, a junior from Port Arthur, TX, excellence in Prose, quarterfinalist in Duo (with partner, Mary Mitchell), excellence in Poetry.
Farah Habad, sophomore from Union City, CA, excellence in Prose, excellence in Impromptu, sixth in Programmed Oral Interpretation, quarterfinalist in Dramatic Interpretation, third in Poetry, third speaker in Public Forum debate, seventh in Pentathalon.
Kayla Hall, freshman from Lewisville, TX, excellence in Prose, excellence in Duo (with partner, Austin Ashford), excellence in Persuasion.
Mary Mitchell, a freshman from Renton, WA, excellence in Prose, quarterfinalist in Duo (with partner, Jhamiah Dixon).
Marcus Rembert, a freshman from Birmingham, AL, excellence in Prose, sixth in Duo (with partner, Ernest Mack), quarterfinalist in Dramatic Interpretation, tournament champion in Reader’s Theater.
Autumnwind Spear, a freshman from New York, New York, excellence in Prose, fourth in Duo (with partner, Drake Pough), outstanding legislator in Congressional Debate.
Drake Pough, a sophomore from Union City, CA, quarterfinalist in Prose, quarterfinalist in Duo (with partner, Eric Robinson), fourth in Duo (with partner, Autumnwind Spear), second in Poetry, tournament champion in Reader’s Theater.
Eric Robinson, a sophomore from Fort Worth, TX, quarterfinalist in Prose, quarterfinalist in Duo (with partner, Drake Pough), semifinalist in Duo (with partner, Dominick Taylor), second in Dramatic Interpretation.
Austin Ashford, a sophomore from Union City, CA, national champion in Poetry , national champion in Dramatic Interpretation, quarterfinalist in Prose, excellence in Duo (with partner, Kayla Hall), second in Programmed Oral Interpretation, semifinalist in Public Forum debate, top speaker in Public Forum debate.
Dominick Taylor, a junior from St. Louis, MO, sixth in Prose, semifinalist in Duo (wither partner, Eric Robinson), semifinalist in Dramatic Interpretation, excellence in Poetry, tournament champion in Reader’s Theater.
Ki-Jana Hernandez, a freshman from Union City, CA, excellence in Impromptu, semifinalist in Programmed Oral Interpretation, semifinalist in Dramatic Interpretation, quarterfinalist and seventh speaker in Novice IPDA debate.
Robert Hollar, a sophomore from Los Angeles, CA, excellence in Impromptu.
Benjamin Turner, a freshman from Antioch, CA, excellence in Impromptu, fourth in Programmed Oral Interpretation.
Jesus Cardenas, a freshman from Union City, CA, semifinalist in Impromptu, semifinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking, fourth speaker in Public Forum debate.
Ernest Mack, a freshman from Flint, MI, sixth in Duo (with partner, Marcus Rembert), tournament champion in Reader’s Theater.
LaQuanda Streeter, excellence in Persuasion, outstanding legislator in Congressional Debate.
Aaron Tumbaga, a freshman from Union City, CA, quarterfinalist in Programmed Oral Interpretation.
Rachel Garnett, a sophomore from Puyallup, WA, excellence in Poetry.
Cameron Smith, a freshman from St. Louis, MO, second place and top speaker in Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate.
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