The William Pitt Debating Union (WPDU) powered through November, stacking up championship titles and speaker awards across three major tournaments. From Illinois to Florida to West Virginia, the Panthers showed once again that this season’s surge in titles is no fluke.
At the 13th Annual Redbird Debate Tournament, hosted by Illinois State University on November 1–2, freshman Cate Haigh delivered an incredible novice showing. Entering elimination rounds as the 4th overall seed, she powered through quarters, semis, and finals undefeated, ultimately claiming both the Novice Championship and Top Novice Speaker. Freshman Emerson Sprinkel competed in the Open division, taking on some of the most seasoned collegiate debaters in the nation in her first-ever college tournament.
Just a week later, WPDU’s speech squad made waves at Part II of the Sunshine Series, hosted by the University of Florida on November 8. It marked the largest speech team the WPDU has brought to competition since the speech program’s launch three years ago. Natalie Rose placed 2nd in Persuasive Speaking against a large field of competitors, securing her second qualification for Nationals. Junior Breanne Francis earned 4th place in After Dinner Speaking, continuing WPDU’s strong start to the speech season.
The team capped off the month with another standout weekend at the Marshall University Memorial Tournament, held November 14–16. In Varsity LD, Henry Anastasi emerged as Varsity Co-Champion and the tournament’s 2nd Top Speaker, while McKinley Cherrier advanced to semifinals and secured the title of 3rd Top Speaker. WPDU’s depth was just as evident in the JV division, where Emerson Sprinkel and Sharanya Nair both reached semifinals, finishing as the 2nd and 3rd Top Speakers, respectively. Even with a relatively small number of debaters, WPDU also brought home the 2nd place team sweepstakes award, overtaking much larger programs.
For such a young team, the WPDU continues to bring home top speaker awards and late-elimination finishes at every tournament they attend. The team now hosts 11 qualifications for Nationals at the midpoint of the season, with over half of those being freshman competitors. The entire team’s success has coaches around the country asking the same question: what is in that Pittsburgh water?