LARAMIE — University of Wyoming debate team members Hunter McFarland and Mary Marcum concluded their collegiate debate careers with historic finishes at the national championships.
The senior duo competed first at the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) national championship in Binghamton, N.Y., where more than 100 teams participated. During the preliminary debates, the two scored six wins, which earned them the 13th seed in the tournament going into the elimination-round debates.
McFarland, of Twin Falls, Idaho, and Marcum, of Omaha, Neb., ended the competition in the Elite Eight. No other UW team has advanced to that level in more than 40 years.
“I had been in octafinals (the Sweet 16) twice, so finally breaking that barrier and getting into quarterfinals was pretty amazing,” Marcum says.
McFarland and Marcum weren’t the only UW duo at CEDA. Bria Frame, a senior from Kalispell, Mont., and Carter Henman, a junior from Cheyenne, also competed. The two started out strong the first day, but had a difficult second day. Although they fell short of reaching the elimination rounds, Frame and Henman won their final preliminary debate, giving them four wins and ending Frame’s competitive debating with a victory.
The fact that it’s a woman-woman partnership for a debate club that has over a century of experience in terms of participating in intercollegiate competitive debate, and this is the first time they’ve done that (advanced to the elimination rounds of the NDT), is truly remarkable,” says Travis Cram, director of forensics in the Department of Communication and Journalism.
In addition to scoring numerous victories, UW debate team members received accolades for their contributions and their academic successes. McFarland and Marcum were named to the 2016 CEDA All-American squad. CEDA also recognized UW debaters for their academic achievements. Marcum received the highest distinction as a National Debate Scholar, summa cum laude. Henman and Spencer Culver, a junior from Kansas City, Mo., were named National Debate Scholars, magna cum laude, while Frame and McFarland received the cum laude designation.
Although their competitive debate days are over, debate will remain a part of their lives. Marcum will attend law school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln next fall. McFarland will stay at UW to pursue a master’s degree in communication, and she will switch roles from competitor to assistant coach of the debate team.
