Transition

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!
Members of UAM’s national champion debate team are (from left, first row) Nathan Bailey of Monticello, Gabrielle Swain of
Monticello, Cody Bijou of Crosby, Tex., Reagan Dobbs of Dayton, Tex., Emily Mendiola of Hamburg, (second row, from left) Jacob
Chisom of Monticello, Luke Beatty of Dermott, Kyle Hargis of Warren, Gauge Adkins of Vilonia, (back row, from left) Ben Graves
of Hot Springs, Keith Milstead, assistant debate coach, Jim Evans, head debate coach, and Blake Adkins of Vilonia.
• Dobbs and Bijou, who combined to
reach the semifinals in team debate and
were quarterfinalists in varsity debate;
• Swain, second place debater and 10th
place speaker in the novice division;
• Nathan Bailey of Monticello, a sophomore
agriculture business major, who was
the fourth place speaker in novice debate;
• Blake Adkins of Vilonia, a junior
computer information systems major, who
was the 11th place speaker in the novice
division and reached the round of 16;
• Kyle Hargis of Warren, a sophomore
communications major, who reached the
round of 16 in novice debate;
• Luke Beatty, a sophomore business
major from Dermott, who reached the
round of 32 in junior varsity debate;
• Gauge Adkins of Vilonia, a sophomore
criminal justice and political science
double major, who reached the round of
16 in junior varsity debate;
Competing for UAM in the professional
division were:
• UAM alumnus Kelly Brown of Siloam
Springs, the seventh place debate
speaker who reached the round of 16;
• Chris Brown, who in addition to his
two individual national championships,
was the eighth place debate speaker and
reached the round of 16;
• Jonathon Hoskins of Monticello, who
reached the round of 16;
• Justin Walker of Monticello, a quarterfinalist;
• Eddie Weaver of DeWitt, a semifinalist.
Summer 2016 15