Western Washington Debate

02/25/2026

The Vikings recently sent a small expedition outward to scout what lays beyond the dark and the wet of their Belling-homeland. Six teams returned from the Pacific Champs tournament hosted by California State University-Long Beach, in Long Beach California this past weekend.

In another strong showing, all teams collected multiple wins, with 4 of them achieving winning records! The senior duo of Jonathan Crowley and Belen Rodriguez continued their excellent season reaching the final round once again, finishing second overall. Both also received distinctions in individual speaking. Jonathan once again represented across each category, including being named the second overall debater in Open. Belen locked down an impressive first place in the category of evidence & analysis! Not to be outdone, Evan Roesler achieved third place distinction for his engagement with community in the Junior division.

Western Debate believes that winning is not the sole, or even most important, metric for determining success or merit in debate. The bonds you build through camaraderie and competition last far longer. Yet, this weekend continues to show that when you take that approach, the wins will follow. GO VIKES!

02/17/2026

Any Viking alumni hanging out in the SoCal area? The foundation is putting on an event February 27 in San Diego!

Calling all alums from the Leadership Studies Minor, Communication Studies Major, Debate Team, and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies Majors—it’s time to reconnect!Join us for a lively evening of conversation, laughter, and good vibes with fellow local alums and WWU faculty at The Shout House (thi...

01/29/2026

Mid-term stress aint a thing for Debate Vikes. We recently returned from Tempe for a tournament hosted by Arizona State University. With teams representing in both the junior and open divisions, the Vikings once again showed tremendous depth as a squad. In the preliminary rounds Western had a tally of 16 wins and 9 losses, with 4 of our partnerships having winning records. In the individual awards, Jonathan Crowley was in the top three in the areas of Evidence, Analysis, and Advocacy for the open division. In Junior, Gwen Cheney and Keira Lee continued their stellar season, reaching the show-case debate in junior and sweeping the individual awards!

The Vikes turned right from competition for a public presentation and discussion, co-hosted with our friends in the International Affairs Association. The session featured an extensive discussion on the ins and outs of the United States' relationship with Japan in the context of nuclear weapons. WWU Debaters Abbie Halpin, Ella Horner, and Annabelle Eckel shared insights from their tour of Hiroshima, the site of America's first nuclear strike on Japan in 1945. The trio connected insights they learned through debating nuclear weapons policy with the powerful emotional experience they had dialoging with survivors of the attacks. It was a humbling reminder about debate's power to use argument to better understand the world we live in and our responsibility to others.

The Vikes next set their sights on a competition hosted by California State Long Beach in late February.

11/05/2025

Big things back east last weekend... the Vikes traveled to Spokane for Gonzaga University's "Jesuit Invitational" tournament. Our report from the front lines is brought to you by Head Coach Ben Hagwood (who admits he was feelin a bit extra, but we think he may have just been feeling a little blue).

"This weekend, the Vikings journeyed to the hallowed halls of the Jesuits and returned triumphant, sounding the horn of victory before a well-earned retreat. At the second tournament of the year, our crew traveled lighter, fought smarter, and raised our win percentage by 6% — proof that the long hours of training are forging stronger warriors of words.

Across both divisions, our debaters claimed glory. In the Junior Division, Jack Petrie earned 1st Place in Evidence and Analysis and was crowned the 2nd Best Speaker overall, while Gwen Cheney and Keira Lee secured 3rd Place in Community. In the Open Division, Jonathan Crowley captured 3rd Place in Advocacy, and alongside Belen Rodriguez, went undefeated, conquering the final round in a tight 2-1 battle against a formidable Arizona State University team that swept the speaking categories.

This marks the second consecutive tournament where the Vikings have stood atop the podium, maintaining a perfect record in final showcase rounds. Through every clash and counter, our team continues to prove that courage, camaraderie, and strategy lead to glorious plunder — in trophies, growth, and pride.

Next stop: the University of Minnesota, where the Vikings will once again set sail in pursuit of teamwork, triumph, and Valhalla!"- BH

10/20/2025

The Vikings kicked off their season in a big way, sending 10 teams down to Tacoma for the "Logger Classic" hosted by the University of Puget Sound. Across two divisions, every single team came away with wins. Our bench is deep! The big weekend belonged to Arlo Urbigkit and Evan Roesler, who advanced to the championship round and were victorious in the junior division! The two also were top two individual speakers thanks to their prowess in evidence and analysis, advocacy, and community. They were joined by fellow Viking Ankitha Ramesh, who claimed third in community.

This season is just getting started but it's looking like a good one. Go Vikes!

10/18/2025

The Vikings are headed to Tacoma this weekend with a big crew at this year's opening debate tournament: the 2025 Logger Invitational at the University of Puget Sound. GO VIKES!

11/22/2024

The Western Debate Union, WWU’s acclaimed intercollegiate debate program, recently concluded the fall quarter term on campus, playing both host and participant at the 2024 Viking Classic debate tournament November 16 and 17. Expectations were high following the program’s standout performance at Gonzaga University’s Jesuit Invitational two weeks prior where WWU debated in the championship round in both the junior and senior divisions. This fall’s Viking Classic was also the third event WWU hosted in 2024, drawing programs and students to our beautiful campus from around the country.

Competitively, the Vikings built on their momentum, fielding seven partnerships in two divisions all while juggling host duties. WWU debaters claimed victories throughout the weekend, with every duo winning at least one contest and three producing winning records in the preliminary debates. Sophomore Erin Casey continued her stellar season despite difficult circumstances. After losing her partner for the weekend due to illness, she paired up with a student from Arizona State University who faced similar circumstances. The last-minute partnership took off, winning four debates and narrowly missing the cut-off for the final round. Erin also claimed top five individual honors in Evidence/Analysis, Advocacy, and Community. The unusual circumstances did not faze Erin, who thought it was “an incredible opportunity that reminded me of why the element of community is so strong in this debate format.”

Results in the Junior Division testified to WWU’s deep bench. Although this was the first event this year where WWU did not reach the final round in the division, several Vikings turned in excellent individual performances. Matthew Loewen, Patrick Meister, and Kylan Peterson all were recognized for their excellence in community building, advocacy, and evidence/analysis. Matthew and Kylan were also honored as the two best overall debaters in the division. Matthew and Patrick both reflected on debate’s impact beyond the wins and losses. Matthew sees the payoff for his effort clearly: “Due to feedback after debates, I've learned a lot about how to more clearly explain economics concepts which are frequently misunderstood, especially in politics. This has made me much better at helping people understand the gears that power our modern world.” Patrick likewise drew connections between the skills he is developing and American democracy in the wake of a challenging election. He noted that “surrounding myself with passionate and brilliant people has made me realize that America’s future is not doomed. It’s very easy to feel helpless right now, but to make real change we need to understand the problems we face, and we need to effectively argue for action.”

The Western Debate Union is no stranger to the demands of competing while hosting events, with this November’s Viking Classic being the last of three events in 2024. WWU’s debate program serves as a hub for innovation in intercollegiate debate, undergraduate research, and advocacy opportunities on controversial topics ranging from climate justice and sustainability, affordable housing, international relations, and criminal justice reform. As Korry Harvey, the program’s long-running Assistant Director of Forensics, explains: “the Western Washington Debate program is an important and influential one in the world of collegiate academic debate, due not only to our competitive success but also our pedagogical innovations and our community-oriented approach to the activity.” Professor Derek Buescher, who directs the University of Puget Sound’s debate program, outlined both the labor and significance that goes into hosting, remarking “it is taxing, time consuming, and labor intensive work, but programs like Western Washington University continually step up to offer what is the most central element of the forensics community--public discourse, dialogue, and teaching on essential and topical questions, helping prepare our students for the highest tests of democratic citizenship.”

The Western Debate Union next turns its eyes towards closing out the fall quarter and gearing up for its next major competition hosted by Weber State University in Ogden, Utah in January. As students step back from competition to complete final exams and rest and recover during the break, there is a lot to celebrate in Bellingham, according to Assistant Director Harvey: “It's great that the team has grown steadily since the pandemic and is serving so many different Western students. Like our siblings in athletics, a healthy team culture is vital to the program's success, and we are fortunate to have so many great people to work with. It's a lot of hard work, but so worth it for such a transformative experience.”

11/16/2024

80+ students... 30+ judges... catering that was on time and hot coffee... not bad at all.

Sounds like a debate tournament has broken out! We are pleased to host our friends from around the region and country this weekend here in Bellingham. Go Vikes!

11/04/2024

A great fall quarter continues. We had 6 teams representing Western at Gonzaga's Jesuit Invitational. We had a tremendous outing, sending teams to the final round in both the open and junior division! We also had Vikings finish in the top 5 for Evidence/Analysis, Advocacy, and Community in both divisions as well. It's a very deep bench this year...Go Vikes!

10/25/2024

The Western Debate Union, WWU’s nationally recognized intercollegiate debate program, recently claimed top honors at their first competition this season. Western sent nine pairs of debaters to represent at the David Frank Tournament of Scholars, hosted by the University of Oregon October 19-20 in Eugene, OR. Western’s contingent varied in both debate experience (several members were participating in their first competition) and academic interests (four of WWU’s seven colleges were represented).

Six rounds of debate, all focusing on the issue of climate change and sustainability, took place among several public and private universities including Gonzaga University, the University of Puget Sound, the University of Minnesota, Arizona State University, and others from around the country. Competitively, it was a solid opening weekend for the Vikings with five partnerships producing winning records over the course of the weekend. No school escaped unscathed, with every Western team claiming at least one victory. Seven Vikings were also honored among the top of the field in individual rankings at the end of the tournament in the areas of evidence, analysis, advocacy skills, and community building. The standouts of the weekend were the team of Julia Olson and Patrick Meister who advanced to the championship round in the Junior Division. In a close debate with California State University-Northridge, Julia and Patrick emerged victorious as the top Junior team.

The Western Debate Union travels next to Spokane for an event hosted by Gonzaga University. The debate topic remains the issue of national climate policy. Of particular concern is whether the United States should implement market-based instruments, such as a carbon tax, to ward of the worst consequences of climate change. Students also explore the economic, environmental, and social consequences of decarbonizing the American economy, while also raising larger questions about the role that capitalism, colonialism, and other hierarchical structures play. WWU sophomore Erin Casey looks forward to unpacking how “how the US can move forward in its climate policy” over the course of the year, appreciating how debate helps her “understand the complex nature of creating a more sustainable future and how we can learn to advocate for a socially equitable transition into renewable energy.” The gravity of the topic was also not lost on Assistant Coach Carter Henman, who noted that “it is inspiring to see a growing number of young people actively working to arm themselves with the skills they'll need to navigate the future” in the face of the chaos, uncertainty, and crises we confront daily.

The Western Debate Union is a co-curricular program that enjoys critical support from all students (via the services & activities fee), as well as the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Communication Studies who believe in the mission of providing students the core liberal arts skills of advocacy, critical thinking, information literacy, and a host of others. These benefits were not lost on WWU frosh Kylan Peterson, who remarked that “the debate team has provided me the tools and environment to vastly develop as a speaker and gain vital skills for my future career.” The Union also takes seriously its mission to equip and support all students committed to acquiring skills and success through debate regardless of previous experience. Amelia Rice commented that “as a first-year debater, I was really nervous about my first tournament but soon realized that I was more prepared than I thought I was, and I learned a lot about how to debate just in the five rounds of the tournament!” Western Debate is just one of several other national caliber programs on campus organized under the Departmentally Related Activities Committee. The mentorship, experience, and community these activities offer is what ultimately brings many to our campus community. Assistant Coach Tramanh Dao, who is new to the program this year, saw this impact immediately, noting she has seen “an exciting amount of engagement, with students earnestly taking on the challenges and the learning opportunities, collectively preparing and then advocating for their positions throughout their debates.”

In addition to the ongoing legacy of competitive success and the manifold benefits associated with debating, for many students the activity is simply home, the community where they have succeeded in finding their people. Beginning her second year with the program, Annabelle Eckel said it best: “debating in Eugene was an unforgettable learning experience. I had the opportunity to dive deeply into a topic that direly needs to be discussed, with a community of absolutely lovely people.” Western’s Debate Vikings eagerly look forward to the next opportunity!

10/19/2024

The timer has reached 0:00 and the 1AC has started on WWU's 2024-2025 debate season. We open with 9 teams in the hunt for some ballots at the University of Oregon's David Frank Tournament of Scholars!