Additionally, Yeargin ranked 26th of 156 total speakers. The team is coached by Tiffany Dillard-Knox, director of debate for the Malcolm X Debate Program and a part-time lecturer in the Department of Communication.

Meanwhile, UofL’s Quiz Bowl team, led by Matt Church (advising) and including students Luke McFarland (Biology), Luke Schroeder (Biology), Mohammed Hindi (Chemistry), Travis Liebert (Psychology), Thomas Rosbottom (Physics) and Zane Sanders (History), won both divisions at the Kentucky Collegiate Quick Recall League tournament at Eastern Kentucky University, which helped them to clinch the season title. This makes 15 of a possible 18 division titles since 2011 for UofL.

The Division I team of Eric Hahnert (Chemical Engineering) and Christian Vennemann (Sport Administration) went 6-0 at the tournament, with wins over EKU (twice), Cumberlands (twice), and Transylvania (twice) to finish first.

The DII team of Emily Beltchev (Bioengineering), Dylan Boone (Chemical Engineering), Luke McFarland (Biology), and Luke Schroeder (Biology) went 6-0 with wins over EKU (twice), Cumberlands (twice), and Jefferson CTC (twice) to finish first.

This year’s DI team includes Eric Hahnert (Chemical Engineering), Mohammed Hindi (Chemistry), Travis Liebert (Psychology), Thomas Rosbottom (Physics), Zane Sanders (History, and Christian Vennemann (Sport Administration). The team finish the league season with a 20-1 record.

This year’s DII team consisted of Emily Beltchev (Bioengineering), Dylan Boone (Chemical Engineering), Luke McFarland (Chemistry), and Luke Schroeder (Biology). The team finished the season with a perfect 19-0 record.

UofL also had four players named to the all-league team. Hahnert and Hindi were named to the Division I All League team. Beltchev and Boone were named to the Division II All League team.

“I ended up being really good at it. Debate allowed me to build my analytical skills, my critical thinking skills and I was able to perform better at school,” she said.

Her debate team partner was Savannah Jeanne Walker. Eventually the two ended up becoming best friends.

In March 2017, Savannah, was shot and killed at a concert in west Louisville, an innocent victim of gun violence. The UofL junior was 20 years old.��

“I just thought there’s no way that this is happening. Savannah was everyone’s best friend. She was such a spiritual person that everyone loved,” Williams said. “It was hard for me.”

Williams knew Savannah wouldn’t want her to wallow, however.

“She would be wanting me to do things in her honor, so I try to embody that spirit that she had,” Williams said.

Williams got a new debate partner, excelled in the classroom, expanded her volunteer work in west Louisville and became a finalist for a prestigious Fulbright scholarship. She will either end up in Trinidad and Tobago on a research grant as part of the Fulbright program, or teaching in Brooklyn and pursuing a master’s degree.

“What really helped me was the faculty that was always checking on me and making sure I’m good,” she said. “Really everything has come together for me and I appreciate it. I will miss Louisville a lot.”

Read more about the .��

Watch more of Williams’ story below:

“In the moment when we learned of Savannah’s death, our team was broken, ripped apart,” said Tiffany Dillard-Knox, the team’s coordinator. “As a competitive debate team, we’ve experienced our share of losses, so to speak, but this loss was by far the greatest and most painful to fathom. We had just met. We were just getting started.”

Van and Junior Chinnel Williams, another novice who was her debate partner, were just beginning to carve out their place in an activity they had already grown to love, one that had allowed them to find their voice as advocates for Black girls everywhere, Dillard-Knox explains.

After Van’s death, the team wanted to honor her and her passion for debate. Collectively, they decided to dedicate the 2017-2018 debate season to Van, letting her spirit guide them as they developed and advanced arguments based in Black Feminist literature. The team’s vow was to make a run at a national championship.

Williams was especially committed to the goal of competing in a national tournament. She had competed in only five tournaments with Van, so she dedicated herself to learning the game of debate. To be successful, Chinnel — whom Dillard-Knox calls a brilliant scholar and focused student — needed a new partner who could match her intellect and provide the knowledge of and background in debate. That person was Deontrey Yeargin, a freshman from Baltimore.

“The competitive chemistry between the two was immediately apparent. It was as if Van had sent him to us,” said Dillard-Knox.��

Both Chinnel and Deontrey read Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ dissertation, We Can Learn to Mother Ourselves: The Queer Survival of Black Feminism 1968-1996. They would also study the works of Black feminist authors such as June Jordan, Audre Lorde, Hortense Spillers, Viviane Saleh-Hanna and many others. This collection of scholars became the foundation for their arguments, laying the groundwork for a season to remember. Highlights are included below.��

Fall 2017

• Georgia State University: In a pool of 220 speakers, Yeargin is ranked 25^th.
• Wake Forest University: A preliminary round record of 6-2 earns Williams/Yeargin (WY) a place as 14^th seed; after elimination rounds, they finish the tournament in the top 32 teams. Yeargin is ranked as 36th speaker and Williams is 38th, out of 266 speakers.

Spring 2018

• Cal-Berkeley Part 1: WY finish prelim rounds as 3^rd seed, thanks to a 6-0 record, and wrap up the tournament in the top 8 teams. Out of 162 speakers, Williams is ranked 16th and Yeargin is 17^th.
• Cal-Berkeley Part 2:  Winning 4 of their 6 prelim rounds places WY as 13^th seed; they end the tournament as one of the top 8 teams. Yeargin is recognized as 5th speaker, with Williams as 14^th, out of 160 speakers.
• UT-Austin: WY come out of prelims with a 6-2 record to enter elims as the 12th seed; they finish up as one of the top 32 teams. Yeargin is 20th out of 204 speakers, and Williams is 26^th.
• West Georgia University (District tournament): WY win the entire tournament as the #1 team. Yeargin picks up the top speaker award, and Williams is 4^th.
• CEDA Nationals: WY are 5^th seed, with a 6-2 prelim record; their elim success places them in the top 16 teams. In a pool of 150 speakers, Williams is 4^th and Yeargin is 14^th.

Each year, debaters all over the country compete to earn an invitation to the prestigious National Debate Tournament (NDT); only the top 78 teams in the country make the cut. WY qualifies for the tournament, which is bittersweet for Chinnel, as it means a return to Kansas almost one year to the day since she learned of Van’s death. But the tournament is also a culmination of the squad’s hard work, and the fulfillment of their vow to Van.

• At the NDT, WY end the prelim rounds with a 6-2 record and a 10^th seed position. They end the tournament and season on a high note as one of the top 8 teams in the country. When ranked against 156 speakers, Yeargin is 19^th and Williams is 28^th.
• Yeargin and Williams are named to the All-American debate team; Williams is named an All-American Debate Scholar
• Williams is named Varsity Debater of the Year for the Cross Examination Debate Association Southeast Region

In addition to her debate success, Williams is also Fulbright Scholarship semifinalist

Editor’s note: Tiffany Dillard-Knox was also named the Scholar of the year for the Cross Examination Debate Association Southeast Region.