History of Kentucky Debate
A History of Success
UK has won the National Debate Tournament twice.
UK teams have reached final rounds of virtually every major invitational, including Harvard, Dartmouth, Wake Forest, Northwestern, and Emory.
UK has won the coveted Copeland Award twice, recognizing the team with the best regular-season record.
UK debaters have been named Top Speaker at the National Debate Tournament on six occasions, 2nd all time.
UK has reached Semifinals of the NDT seven times and is ranked 7th overall, with 30 first-round teams.
Coach Roger Solt, c. 1990
History of UK at the NDT
NDT CHAMPIONS
2019 - Dan Bannister & Anthony Trufanov
1986 - Daniel Brownell & Ouita Papka
NOTABLE NUMBERS
NDT Champions
2019 Dan Bannister & Anthony Trufanov (8-0 record, 1st seed)
Coached by Dave Arnett, Lincoln Garrett, Amar Adam, and Seth Gannon
1986 David Brownell & Ouita Papka (7-1 record, 3rd seed)
Coached by J.W. Patterson and Roger Solt
Copeland Award (Top First-Round At-Large to the NDT)
2019 Dan Bannister & Anthony Trufanov
Coached by Dave Arnett, Lincoln Garrett, Amar Adam, and Seth Gannon
1994 Jason Patil & Paul Skiermont
Coached by J.W. Patterson and Roger Solt
NDT Top Speakers
1977 Gil Skillman
1981 Jeff Jones
1982 Steve Mancuso
1991 T.A. McKinney
1994 Paul Skiermont
1995 Paul Skiermont
NDT Top Five Speakers
3rd 1976 Gil Skillman
4th 1981 Steve Mancuso
4th 1985 Michael Mankins
4th 1993 Paul Skiermont
5th 1980 Jeff Jones
5th 1990 T.A. McKinney
5th 1995 Jason Patil
5th 2002 Russ Hubbard
4th 2019 Dan Bannister
2nd 2019 Anthony Trufanov
Teams with the Most First-Round At-Large Bids to the NDT
Kentucky is ranked 7th overall, with 30 first-round teams
Years Qualifying for the NDT: 51 years
Number of Teams Competing at the NDT: 82 teams
Number of NDT Prelim Wins & Losses: 376 wins & 267 losses, with a 58.5% overall win record
Total Teams in NDT Elims: 41 teams, ranked #12 overall as of 2011
Total NDT Elim wins: 37-37 (50%)
Teams in the Doubles/Partial Doubles: 14
Teams in the Octafinals: 12
Teams in the Quarterfinals: 7
Teams in the Semifinals: 5
Second-Place Teams: 1
NDT Hosts: 1979 Hosted by J.W. Patterson, Directed by Michael Hazen (ranked the second-best NDT of the 1970s in Southworth’s History of the NDT)
Two Teams Clear to Elims: 8 - 1974, 1985, 1991, 1994, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Two Teams Attend the NDT: 26 years
Three Teams Attend the NDT: 4 years
Number of NDT First Seeds: 4, tied for 4th overall (1974, 1981, 1994, 2019)
Most Individual Victories
T.A. McKinney, 22-10 in prelims, 5-4 in elims, 4 year NDT competitor, 27 total wins, ranked #38 of all time
Theo Noparstak, 22-10 in prelims, 4-4 in elims, 4 year NDT competitor, 26 total wins
Steve Mancuso, 21-3 in prelims, 4-3 in elims, 3 year NDT competitor, 25 total wins, ranked #53 of all time
Donald Grasse, 21-11 in prelims, 3-3 in elims, 4 year NDT competitor, 24 total wins
Dan Bannister, 19-5 in prelims, 4-3 in elims, 3 year NDT competitor, 23 total wins
Anthony Trufanov, 19-5 in prelims, 4-3 in elims, 3 year NDT competitor, 23 total wins
NATIONAL DEBATE TOURNAMENT QUALIFIERS
1960 Fitzgerald & Curris (14th seed, Octafinals, 4-4 with 14 ballots)
1964 Crockarell & Grogan
1967 Page & Valentine
1968 Page & Valentine
1973 Flegle & Jones
1974 Flegle & Jones, 6th first round, Jones - 7th speaker, 1st seed, Semis, 7-1 with 19 ballots; Oberst and Viehe, 10th seed in elims, Octafinals, 6-2 with 14 ballots
1975 Skillman & Thomson, 11th first round, Skillman - 8th speaker, 5th seed, Semifinals, 6-2 with 16 ballots
1976 Oberst & Skillman, 4th first round, Skillman - 3rd speaker, Oberst - 9th speaker, 9th seed, Octafinals, 5-3 with 16 ballots
1977 Oberst & Skillman, 5th first round, Skillman - 1st speaker, Oberst - 6th speaker, 6th seed, Quarters, 6-2 with 15 ballots
1978 Duffy & Jones
1979 Duffy & Jones
1980 Jones & Mancuso, 4th first round, Jones - 5th speaker, 6th seed, Octafinals, 6-2 with 16 ballots
1981 Jones & Mancuso, 2nd first round, Jones - 1st speaker, Mancuso - 4th speaker, 1st seed, Semifinals, 8-0 with 23 ballots; Dzuris & Kincaid
1982 Mancuso & McGlothlen, 3rd first round, Mancuso - 1st speaker, 2nd seed, Semifinals, 7-1 with 18 ballots; Dzuris & Kincaid
1984 Mankins & Papka, 12th first round, 4th seed, Octafinals, 6-2 record with 18 ballots; Flowers & Kupferberg
1985 Mankins & Papka, 2nd first round, Mankins - 4th speaker, Papka - 8th speaker, 13th seed, Quarterfinals, 5-3 record with 14 ballots; Flowers & Kupferberg, 12th seed, Octafinals, 5-3 with 15 ballots
1986 Brownell &Papka, 8th first round, Papka - 8th speaker, 3rd seed, NDT Champions, 7-1 with 15 ballots;-Flowers & Kupferberg, 11th first round
1987 Hodges & Kupferberg, 11th first round, 20th seed, Partial-Double, 5-3 with 15 ballots
1988 Hodges & McKinney, 12th first round, 20th seed, Partial-Double, 5-3 with 14 ballots; Rockefeller & Walsh
1989 McKinney & Rockefeller, 13th first round, 6th seed, Semis, 6-2 with 18 ballots; Massey & Walsh
1990 McKinney & Rockefeller, 7th first round, McKinney - 5th speaker, 16th seed, Quarterfinals, 5-3 with 15 ballots; Gallagher & Walsh
1991 McKinney & Walsh, 4th first round, McKinney - 1st speaker, 7th seed, Quarterfinals, 6-2 with 18 ballots; Reeve & Rockefeller, Rockefeller - 9th speaker, 13th seed, Partial-Double, 5-3 with 17 ballots
1992 Reeve & Skiermont; Finch & Kiani
1993 Renzelmann & Skiermont, 14th first round, Skiermont - 4th speaker; Reeve & Wells; Finch & Kiani
1994 Patil & Skiermont, 1st first round, Skiermont - 1st speaker, Patil - 5th speaker, 1st seed, Quarterfinals, 7-1 with 20 ballots; Renzelmann & Wells, 11th first round, 15th seed, Octafinals, 5-3 with 15 ballots; Finch & Kiani, 15th in first round voting
1995 Finch & Skiermont, 2nd first round, Skiermont - 1st speaker, 11th seed, Quarterfinals, 6-2 with 16 ballots; Patil & Renzelmann
1996 Stetson & Teagle
1997 Jensen & Ray
1998 Jensen & Ray
1999 Jensen & Ray, 27th seed, Partial-Double, 5-3 with 14 ballots
2000 Jensen & Ray, 11th seed, Partial-Double, 6-2 with 17 ballots; Hubbard & Kall
2001 Hubbard & Kall
2002 Hubbard & Tetzlaff, 9th first round, Hubbard - 5th speaker, 2nd seed, Finals, 7-1 with 19 ballots
2003 Hartmann & Schy; Bunch & Whittaker
2004 Hartmann & Schy
7
2006 Jones & Schy, 23rd seed, Octafinals, 5-3 with 15 ballots; Theodosopoulos & Thiele
2007 Gentile & Theodosopoulos
2008 Gentile & Theodosopoulos, 27th seed, Partial-Double, 5-3 with 11 ballots; Gautam & Gort
2010 Gautam & Gentile, 28th seed, Quarterfinals, 5-3 with 13 ballots
2011 Gautam & Steckler
2013 Grasse & Roman, 16th seed, Doubles, 5-3 with 16 ballots; Geldof & Strong
2014 Grasse & Roman; Geldof & Vargason
2015 Grasse & Noparstak, 12th seed, Octas, 6-2 with 16 ballots; Geldof & Vargason, 13th seed, Octafinals, 6-2 with 14 ballots; Hampton & Roman
2016 Grasse & Noparstak, 10th first round, 6th seed, Quarterfinals, 6-2 with 18 ballots; Geldof & Vargason, 16th first round, 22nd seed, Doubles, 5-3 with 15 ballots; Hampton & Roman, 17th seed, Doubles, 5-3 with 17 ballots
2017 Adam & Noparstak, 23rd seed, Doubles, 5-3 with 14 ballots; Bannister & Trufanov, 13th first round, 22nd seed, Doubles, 5-3 with 14 ballots
2018 Adam & Noparstak, 16th first round, 26th seed, Octafinals, 5-3 with 14 ballots; Bannister & Trufanov, 5th first round bid, 13th seed, Doubles, 5-3 with 18 ballots.
2019 Bannister & Trufanov, 1st first round bid, 1st seed, NDT Champions, 8-0 with 24 ballots; Hackman & Rivas
2020 Eckert & Hackman, 10th first round; Ivackovic & Lucas (NDT not held due to COVID-19)
2021 Di & Griffith, 14th first round, Doubles; Barrett & Lucas, 2-2 with 5 ballots (dropped due to illness)
2022 Di & Griffith, 13th first round, Doubles; Kiihnl & Adam, 4-4 with 10 ballots
2023 Di & Gabay, 4-4; Kiihnl & Griffith, 5-3, 19th seed, Octafinals, Griffith - 17th speaker
THE BEST OF
Best Team 1980s
Mancuso and Jones - #3 overall
Total Teams in Elims of the 1980s
10, #5 overall
Most Elim Wins in the 1980s
11-9, #5 overall
Best Speakers of the 1970s
Gil Skillman - #4 overall
Best Speakers of the 1980s
Steve Mancuso - #3 overall
Jeff Jones - #5 overall
Best Speakers of the 1990s
Paul Skiermont - #3 overall
Best Judges of the 1980s
Roger Solt - #1 overall
Best Coaches of the 1980s
Roger Solt - #5 overall
Best Judges of the 1990s
Roger Solt - #3 overall
OUTSTANDING FIRST YEAR
1973 Mark Viehe
1974 Gil Skillman
1975 Guy Campisano
1976 Mark Parson
1977 Karen Gruneisen
1978 Jim Duffy and Jeff Jones
1979 Steve Mancuso
1980 Condon McGlothlen
1981 Paul Kopasz
1982 Mike Mankins
1983 Ouita Papka
1984 Paul Flowers
1985 David Brownell
1988 T.A. McKinney
1990 Jerry Gallager
1991 Jonathon Reeve
1992 Paul Skiermont
1993 Jason Renzelmann
1994 Kyle Norman
1997 Brian Ray
1999 Russ Hubbard
2003 Reuben Schy
2004 Angelo Theodospoulos
2006 Mike Jones
2011 Christian Stecker
2012 Evan Sweet
2013 Donnie Grasse
2014 Ava Vargason
2015 Amar Adam, Holmes Hampton, Theo Noparstak
2016 Jacinda Rivas
2017: Dan Bannister and Anthony Trufanov
2020: Chris Eckert
2021: Jordan Di, David Griffith
2022:
DISTINGUISHED STUDENT SPEAKER
1949 Betty Hammock and Joe Mainous
1950 Jeanne Harrell
1953 William Douglas
1954 George Shadoan
1955 Mike Ganji
1956 James Dundon and Charles English
1958 Richard Roberts
1959 Tex Fitzgerald
1961 Deno Curris
1962 Bettye Choate and Warren Scoville
1963 Donald Clapp and Kevin Hennessey
1964 Richard Ford
1965 Phil Grogan
1966 John Patton
1967 Rodney Page
1968 Robert Vallentine
1969-1971 John Nelson and Scott Wendelsdorf
1972 Jeff Lankford
1973 Jim Flegle
1974 Ben Jones
1975 Gil Skillman and Mary Thomson
1976 Gerry Oberst
1979 Jeff Jones
1980 Steve Mancuso
1981 Marie Dzuris and Ron Kinkaid
1982 Condon McGlothlen
1984 Mike Mankins and Ouita Papka
1985 Paul Flowers and Eric Kupferberg
1986 David Brownell
1987 Scott Hodges
1988 T.A. McKinney
1989 Calvin Rockefeller
1991 David Walsh
1993 Jonathan Reeve and Paul Skiermont
1994 Cy Kiani and Trevor Wells
1995 Jason Patil and Jay Finch
2000 Brian Ray and Paul Jenson
2001 Aaron Kall
2002 Ross Hubbard and Mike Tetzlaff
2006 Ruben Schy
2016 Jonathan Geldof, Donald Grasse and Marcel Roman
2017 Ava Vargason
2018 Amar Adam and Theo Noparstak
2019 Jacinda Rivas, Dan Bannister and Anthony Trufanov
2020 Genevieve Hackman
2021 Saturn Kendrick
HALL OF FAME
1974 Jim Flegle
1977 Gil Skillman
1978 Gerry Oberst
1981 Jeff Jones
1982 Steve Mancuso
1983 Condon McGlothlen
1985 Mike Mankins
1986 Ouita Papka
1991 T.A. McKinney
1994 Paul Skiermont
2002 Russ Hubbard
2016 Donald Grasse
2020 Anthony Trufanov
2020 Dan Bannister
A complete history of the University of Kentucky Round Robin debate tournament.
