Published on February 7, 2024 by Lee Quinn  
Madison and Mary Debate 2024
Junior Mary Grace Hammond (left) and senior Madison Hackett (right) win first place at the University of Texas at Austin tournament on Feb. 3-5.

The Samford University debate team won the University of Texas at Austin Tournament this past weekend. Junior Mary Grace Hammond and senior Madison Hackett won junior varsity, making this their second tournament win this semester. The team placed first at the Indiana Tournament two weeks ago. They defeated Michigan, Kansas, Wayne State and George Mason universities. 

 
Samford 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, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 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. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.