Pace Academy Debaters Win Big at Michigan Tournament

Pace Academy junior debaters Tanner Lewis and Clyde Shepherd won first place at the University of Michigan’s National Junior Round Robin on Oct. 31.

The debaters took the top spot after two days of competition against some of the nation’s top junior debaters. The team was undefeated, and Shepherd was named the second-place individual speaker. Senior Anshuman Parikh also was named the second individual speaker in the Senior Round Robin.

Following the Round Robins, 16 Pace debaters competed in the main invitational of the national three-day tournament. Senior Erik Howard, Parikh, Lewis and Shepherd reached the elimination rounds in the varsity division. In a field of 322 students from 20 states, Howard and Parikh reached the final 16.

The Pace ninth-grade teams of Jack McMillin and Eno Reyes and Michael Chen and Jake Movsovitz reached the finals of the tournament’s novice division and were crowned co-champions. Freshmen Christopher Howard and Will Movsovitz finished as semifinalists. Throughout the tournament not one of Pace’s three novice teams lost a single debate. This is the fourth consecutive year that Pace freshmen have reached the finals in that division.

The team will next compete at The Glenbrooks Speech and Debate Tournament in suburban Chicago over the weekend of Nov. 23.