Published on October 25, 2009 at 7 p.m. by Mary Wimberley  

Â鶹¹û¶³ varsity debaters Dan Bagwell and Logan Gramzinski are ranked 15th in the nation by the National Debate Tournament following a strong showing at a recent Vanderbilt University tournament. The national field includes more than 350 varsity teams at schools throughout the U.S.

The Â鶹¹û¶³ team finished second at the Vanderbilt tournament after losing to Liberty University’s top team by one judge’s ballot in the semi-final round. They had earlier defeated the top team from University of Kentucky in the quarter-final round.

Gramzinski and Bagwell were named first and second place speakers, respectively, out of the 172 individual debaters at the tournament, held Oct. 16-18.

The team is ranked 23rd in the nation in the coach’s poll.

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Â鶹¹û¶³ is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Â鶹¹û¶³ enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 35 Most Beautiful College Campuses, Â鶹¹û¶³ fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.