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.

If the Cardinals advance past Sunday, another UofL team will also be dancing. The Quiz Bowl team — which includes Ramapriya Rangaraju, Olivia Muncie, Clayton Truman and Mohammed Hindi — is on standby for their shot at Bracket Genius, a quiz show that features bracket-style academic competition and offers college students the chance to share the $100,000 prize. Teams are picked for the Bracket Genius competition only if their basketball team advances to the Sweet 16.

Though the quiz bowl members won’t know their fate until the basketball team plays its first two games, they’re ready and confident should they get the call to fly to Chicago Monday and start the competition.��

“I like our chances. I trust all of my teammates,” said Muncie, a junior history major from Indianapolis. “I think this is a great idea because it highlights that we’re more than just a sports school. Some of the smartest people I know are on this quiz bowl team.” 

The UofL Quiz Bowl team is coached by Matt Church, A&S advisor.��

Bracket Genius is sponsored by College Ave Student Loans, Intersport and ESPN. Follow along on and .��

Below, check out the students’ reaction to finding out they could compete in Bracket Genius: 

“We started out the season ranked 19^th and to finish up the season with 11^th place is amazing,” quiz bowl faculty advisor Matt Church said. “The team had great chemistry and once they learned how to play together, they were beating teams we’ve never beaten before, such as Brown, Duke, Virginia and the famed Oxford University from Great Britain. Maryland – the team that finished ranked fourth – (we) beat them twice. It was a season of firsts.”

The team of Nick Conder, Kurtis Droge, Ramapriya Rangaraju, and Megan Seldon ended the season with a strong finishing kick, including top 15 placements at both the NAQT Intercollegiate Championship Tournament (14^th) and ACF National Championship (10^th). Droge, who was not included in any preseason rankings, was voted the 11^th best player in the country and named to the Division I All Star Team.

Church indicated that 2017’s squad could be even better, given that Conder, Droge and Rangaraju are all returning to the team.

“With most of the team coming back next year, we’re shooting for a top 10, possibly top 8 finish,” Church said.

According to Church, the ultimate goal is to send two, possibly three UofL teams to the two national championship tournaments and encourages any student interested in participating to contact him via email.  

Supported and led by A&S Advising, the 16-member UofL quiz bowl team represents departments across the college – from history and English to mathematics, chemistry, and urban & public affairs. It also includes five students from the J.B. Speed School and one student from the College of Business. The team is divided into divisions I and II, and is coached by A&S Advisers Matt Church and Eddie Bobbitt.

The division I team, which earned first place in the Southeast Sectional qualifying them for the national tournament, is made up of Nick Conder (PhD, Urban & Public Affairs), Megan Seldon (BA, English), Kurtis Droge (MBA), and Ramapriya Rangaraju (MS, Computer Engineering & Computer Science). The team is ranked No. 9 nationally behind Stanford.

The division II team ranked second in the Southeast Sectional, ahead of Vanderbilt University and Western Kentucky University, and is on a waitlist to compete in the championship.

Quiz Bowl features two teams competing head-to-head to answer questions from a variety of categories, including history, literature, science, fine arts, current events, sports, and popular culture. Players practice against each other on campus and then represent UofL in teams from one to four players at varsity tournaments.

Coach Matt Church played quiz bowl in high school and practiced with UofL’s team while he was getting an MA in history and an MA in higher education. Acting as coach since 2009, Church is incredibly superstitious and left a match this year after three questions because he, and the team, considered him bad luck for that round.

Freshman Lance Gibson (English & Mathematics) has been participating on quiz bowl teams for nine years, through elementary, middle, and high school. Gibson said quiz bowl is an integral part of who he is and that he would never abandon the competition.

“Every tiny piece of information we collect gives us a broader perspective and deeper insight in both natural and societal contexts,” he said. “While many others keep learning inside the classroom, we take it beyond.”