Allison Oster
Senior Public Relations Specialist
(626) 815-4518
APU Debate Pairs Compete Among Nation's Best
March 7, 2006
AZUSA, Calif. –
On March 17-19, two Azusa Pacific University debate teams will compete at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE), which invites the nation's top 48 debate teams out of 1,045 that have competed this year.
The NPTE welcomes the top two-person teams in the nation to engage in Parliamentary-style debate with other nationally-ranked opponents in order to identify the country's top teams. APU seniors Caroline Mello and Greg Pereira as well as juniors Hans Vodder and Tim Kamermayer received invitations to this year's championship.
"We have only once received an invitation to this tournament, and it is truly impressive to receive two invitations in one year," said APU's Director of Forensics Konrad Hack. "This is a difficult competition, but our teams are among the best and will perform well."
In order to qualify for the tournament, each team must rank among the top 48 pairs in the nation. Rankings are based upon win/loss percentage points received at tournaments throughout the year. While many teams competing at the NPTE have been together for as many as four years, building teamwork that is crucial to winning and collecting points, Pereira and Mello have only competed together for one semester and are ranked 35th in the nation. Vodder and Kamermayer enter the tournament ranked 18th after 6 months and 10 tournaments together as a team.
The three-day tournament takes place from March 17-19 at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore. For more information on the tournament or APU Forensics, contact APU Director of Forensics Konrad Hack at (626) 815-3716.
Featured in TIME magazine and ranked as one of the nation’s best by U.S.News & World Report and The Princeton Review, Azusa Pacific is a comprehensive, Christian, evangelical university, committed to God First and known for excellence in higher education. Azusa Pacific’s main campus lies just 26 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley, while its seven Southern California regional centers bring convenience and extend quality programming. The university offers more than 50 areas of undergraduate study, 21 master’s degrees, and 6 doctorates to a total student population of more than 8,300. For more information, call (800) 825-5278 or visit www.apu.edu.
