As Faith Medlock ‘15 continued to one of the 19 lower chambers of the fifth Illinois Congressional Debate Association (ICDA) tournament of the year on Jan. 17, she thought all hopes for a spot in the Tournament of Champions (TOC) were lost. When speaking with other competitors, she relayed that four of 400 invitational level debaters would be selected to advance to the TOC, but she did not believe she would be one of them until a judge told her otherwise.

“I freaked out,” Medlock said. “I was super excited, and I wasn’t expecting it, but it was fantastic. I could barely speak.”

In the world of debate, the TOC is an extension of the invitational level of a debate tournament in which only the top debaters compete. At the Jan. 17 tournament, Medlock and other TOC debaters, including Anika Ranginani ‘15, received one of the two bids necessary to advance to the national TOC that will be held at the University of Kentucky in late April. An application to the national TOC is available for Medlock and Ranginani along with others who only received one bid.

“I was both excited and surprised,” Debate Advisor Jessica Lee said. “We have never gotten a bid before, and it wasn’t anything that we were anticipating. We’re definitely very excited for the both of them because they have been working so hard since their freshman year, and this seems like a perfect way for the two of them to end their debate career here at LT.”

Due to the caliber of debate in Illinois, this year’s selection process for the national TOC differed from past years. Rather than having only six bids available within the ICDA there were 22 bids to accommodate for the growing size of the tournament, Medlock said.

“If a debate coach cries, I was close to crying,” Debate Advisor Thomas Swiontek said. “[Medlock and Ranginani] have been on the team for four years, and they have rarely missed a practice or a tournament. I knew how important it would be for them as an acknowledgement for all of their hard work.”

To prepare for their success in debate, Medlock and Ranginani dedicated countless hours to research and observation, Lee said.

“There’s definitely a lot of teamwork that goes into it,” Medlock said. “Everyone researches, and everyone shares their research, so it’s really important to rely on the team, review all of your research and listen carefully.”

According to Swiontek, the girls are expected to advance to at least the semi-finals of the national TOC, despite the skill of fellow debaters at the tournament.

“They are legitimate contenders,” Lee said. “We have been researching and finding information online, but [the national TOC] is very new territory for all of us.”

While many schools rely on politics to schmooze the judges, LT debaters have chosen to instead impress the judges with their skill, Swiontek said.

“We have the reputation of being ethical and hardworking,” he said. “Faith and Anika are part of that tradition.”