HWS News
13 May 2025 From Novice Breaks to Worlds: HWS Debate’s Remarkable Year
Top-tier tournaments, standout novice performances and a world-class Round Robin define an exceptional season for HWS Debate.
HWS Debate had a successful 2024-25 academic year, competing in seven prestigious tournaments and hosting the annual Round Robin with outstanding results.
The season began with a strong showing at the annual Hart House IV in Toronto, Canada and the Yale IV in New Haven, Conn. During winter break, the team reached new heights by sending two teams to the World Universities Debating Championship in Panama City. Hudson Chou '27 and Fairooj Suhita '27 competed, and Sandeep Tissaaratchy ’26 advanced to elimination rounds as an adjudicator. Read more about Worlds here.
Newcomers to HWS Debate had an impressive debut this year. At the Novice National Tournament, held at Cornell University, Briana Reyes '28 and Dylan Ballard ’28 broke, meaning they advanced to elimination rounds, and reached the finals. This marks the fourth consecutive year an HWS team earned finalist honors at this tournament. Gianluca LoPorto ’25 and Hudson Chou ’27 broke as adjudicators, with LoPorto paneling the semifinal round and Chou chairing the quarterfinal and paneling the final round.
The momentum continued as the team headed to Dartmouth’s United States Universities Debate Championship, where Jasmine Goncalves ’27 served as an Equity Officer, helping ensure a fair and inclusive competition. Later, HWS Debate traveled to Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, for the North American Debate Championship, further solidifying their international reputation.
In April, HWS Debate proudly hosted Round Robin, one of the world’s most exclusive and competitive tournaments. Participation is by invitation only and debaters must have earned a “bid,” which constitutes winning a major title or reaching the World Championships finals.
This year’s tournament featured elite competitors from top institutions, including Cambridge, Oxford and Princeton, with Manchester University’s Lucie Slamova and Wajeeh Maaz ultimately claiming victory in the grand final. HWS played a pivotal role in organizing the event, with Lamia Nur Rahman ’26, Suhita and Chou serving as judges and Michelle Mangione ’27 serving as tournament director.
The year culminated at the Colgate Open in Hamilton, N.Y., where Chou and Nur Rahman took on leadership roles as Chief Adjudicators. Sasha Zory ’28, Chou and Nur Rahman all broke as adjudicators, with Zory further distinguishing herself as a panelist for the grand finals, an exceptional achievement for a first-year debater.
