The PSU debate team returned victorious from another tournament, this time from Kirkland, WA, where the PSU team won the Northwest University Eagle Invitational against teams from Oregon, Washington, and Montana.

The PSU pairing of Kelly Welch and Sean Partch were the winners of the final round, despite facing stiff competition — primarily from other PSU debaters, who comprised three of the four pairs in the final round, and four of the eight pairs in the semi-finals.

In addition to the victories won by their teams, PSU was represented by six of the top 10 individual speakers at the tournament, including four of the top five slots. Aaron Baker was awarded 1st place for individual speaking, followed by his partner Lindsay Bing in 2nd, Kelly Welch in 3rd, and Sean Partch in 5th. Aaron Powell and Stephanie Stanley were also awarded 7th and 9th place, respectively.

This is the fourth tournament that has been won by the Portland State Debate team, out of six tournaments the team has attended during the 2009-10 school year. The team’s next debate will be in Ithaca, NY, at the end of January.