ISU Debate Team Achieves Success at Prestigious Northwest Tournaments

The Idaho State University James M. & Sharon E. Rupp Debate Society showcased strong performances at back-to-back tournaments hosted by Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, from October 10-12, 2025.

POCATELLO, ID – October 23, 2025 – The Idaho State University (ISU) James M. & Sharon E. Rupp Debate Society showcased strong performances at back-to-back tournaments hosted by Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, from October 10-12, 2025. The team competed against a field of more than 650 entries from 37 universities from across the nation at the Steve Hunt Classic and the associated Neil Sabin Speech Swing Tournament.

Under the direction of Dr. Sarah Partlow Lefevre, Director of Debate, and Assistant Coaches Heather Gilmore and Jack Quigley, the team continues its tradition of competitive success. Graduate student Selena Drolet-Palmer accompanied the team and judged debate and speech events. Students competing included: Chelsea Blanchard (Senior, Salt Lake City), Isaac Brambila (Senior, Idaho Falls), Lazarus Clark (Junior, Pocatello), Maleah Dilworth (Freshman, Soda Springs), Alex Kuyper (Sophomore, Boise), Joshua Pincock (Freshman, Pocatello), and Jonathon Stoneback (Junior, Pocatello).

Leading the team's success in individual events was Isaac Brambila. At the Steve Hunt Classic, Brambila secured 2nd place in Senior After Dinner Speaking and 4th place in Senior Poetry Interpretation. Judges praised his After Dinner Speech as "SO creative" and "super unique and interesting." His Poetry Interpretation was lauded for its "energy and power" and "great weave of sources." One judge said his performance brought them to tears, calling it "Beautifully done... one of my favorite . . . I have seen in years."

Senior Isaac Brambila

Continuing his strong performance at the Neil Sabin Speech Swing tournament on Saturday, Brambila achieved 1st place in Program Oral Interpretation, 1st Place in Poetry Interpretation, 3rd place in After Dinner Speaking, and 4th place in Prose Interpretation. These individual successes, including a "sensational" judge rating in Program Oral Interpretation, contributed to the ISU team placing 2nd overall in the Neil Sabin Speech Swing team sweepstakes.

In debate events, Jonathon Stoneback advanced to the Quarterfinals (Top 8) in Senior Individual Parliamentary Debate (IPDA) at the Steve Hunt Classic. This popular one-on-one format emphasizes persuasive, real-world argumentation, requiring competitors to select a topic from a shared list and prepare their case in just 30 minutes. Stoneback defeated competitors from as Boise State University and Whitworth University along the way. Judges commended Stoneback’s performance in elimination rounds, with one noting, "This was a very strong and well-developed case. You clearly identified the main clash early and extended it effectively... Your argumentation was organized and your impact analysis was especially strong!" Another highlighted his ability to maintain key arguments, stating, "Good work maintaining your warrants, these usually get dropped, nice work."

Alex Kuyper also advanced to elimination rounds as 5th seed in a field of 41 after the preliminary rounds. Alex reached the Semifinals (Top 12) in Senior Extemporaneous Speaking. His high preliminary rank placed him ahead of competitors from numerous schools, including Boise State, Whitworth, Arizona State, and Lewis & Clark. Judges described his speaking as having "great pace and language" with "well-emphasized points with good specifics."

Maleah Dilworth contributed to the team's debate success. After preliminary debates, Meleah was 4th seed in a field of 41 competitors. In single-elimination debates, she reached Octafinals (Top 16) in Junior IPDA. Her strong preliminary performance ranked her above competitors from Boise State, Whitworth, University of Washington, and University of Nevada-Reno. One judge commented, "Great Speaker! I appreciate your pace and tone of speaking," while another praised her case, noting she "did a great job at structuring your case efficiently and fairly."

Freshman Maleah Dilworth

Overall, the ISU team placed 11th out of 37 competing institutions in the Steve Hunt Classic combined team sweepstakes. Team sweepstakes points are awarded based on preliminary round success and elimination round advancement across all events, meaning the final ranking often reflects team size.

As a relatively small team, ISU's 11th-place finish demonstrates the quality and efficiency of their individual performances. This ranking placed them ahead of several larger state universities, such as the University of Nevada-Reno, University of Texas-Tyler, and Texas Tech University, as well as competitive private institutions including Whitman College, Carroll College, Linfield University, and McKendree University.

Debate Team

These results build upon the team's successes from the Spring 2025 national championship season. At the Pi Kappa Delta (PKD) National Comprehensive Tournament in Athens, OH, in March 2025, Isaac Brambila placed 4th in the nation in Program Oral Interpretation, and the Duo Interpretation team of Isaac Brambila and Mandi Hesby reached the Quarterfinal round.  Following PKD, the team competed at the IPDA National Championship Tournament in Baytown, TX, in April 2025. Alex Kuyper advanced to the Octafinal round (Top 32) in the Varsity IPDA division, which featured 92 competitors from across the country.

"Seeing our students advance and place highly against such strong fields, both now and at the end of last season, is incredibly encouraging," said Dr. Partlow Lefevre. "Alex reaching the top 32 at IPDA Nationals, Isaac placing 4th in the nation at PKD Nationals, and our Duo team reaching quarterfinals at PKD were fantastic achievements. The positive feedback from judges at Lewis & Clark underscores the hard work our students are putting in under the guidance of our coaching staff."

"Isaac's consistent success, Jonathon’s quarterfinal finish, Maleah’s octo-final finish and Alex’s semi-final round appearance highlight the dedication and talent in our program," Dr. Partlow Lefevre added.

The ISU Debate team, housed within the Department of Communication, Media, and Persuasion, provides students with opportunities to develop critical thinking, research, and public speaking skills through intercollegiate competition.

Dr. Partlow Lefevre has directed the program for over two decades, coaching teams to numerous national awards and tournament victories. Dr. Partlow’s leadership and contributions to the debate and forensics community have been nationally recognized by her receipt of the Ziegelmueller Award for excellence in debate education, the Lucy Keele Service Award, the Galentine Coaching Award, and her 2025 appointment to the International Public Debate Association Governing Board.

Contact: Sarah Partlow Lefevre, PhD Professor and Director of Debate Idaho State University partsara@isu.edu 208-251-0138