Piedmont debate team reaches semi-finals of state tourney

DEMOREST - The Piedmont College home team of Sam Thomas and Sarah Smagur advanced to the semi-finals of the 2015 Georgia Parliamentary Debate Association state varsity tournament, but in the end it was Mercer University that took the title and will advance to the nationals in March.<br /> <br /> The two-day tournament held Feb. 13-14 in Demorest featured varsity and novice teams from Mercer, Piedmont, Valdosta State University, Oglethorpe University, Morehouse College, and the University of North Georgia. A joint team from Valdosta and UNG won the novice division title.<br /> <br /> In addition to the semi-finalists awards, Sam Thomas was named third-place speaker in the varsity division, and Sarah Smagur was the seventeenth speaker in the varsity division out of 42 speakers. Piedmont debaters Augusta Gailey, Hannah Thomas, Reynaldo Marcos Herrera, Julia Burtt, and Rusty Crumley won several debate rounds and received achievement and participation awards. Thomas Looney received the fifteenth place speaker award in the novice division.<br /> <br /> Dr. Janice Moss, GPDA President and the state tournament director, thanked the debate team, and the mass communications faculty and students for "helping to host a very successful tournament. I also want to thank Brian Carter for designing our website, Jesse Sutton and the Student Leadership Council,and especially the Piedmont administration," she said.<br /> <br /> Dr. Tom Preston of the University of North Georgia was named the GPDA Judge of the Year and is also president elect for 2016. UNG will host next year's state tournament. "This tournament will be a hard act to follow next year," Preston said. He praised the "crispness and professionalism" of the contest as well as the "friendliness and hospitality of the host school."