SMU Student wins top honor at the National Novice tournament in Kansas City

SMU student Brittany Levingston won the top novice of the year at the 36th Mid-America Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) Championships Tournament in Kansas City the weekend of March 12-14.

Livingston received the award on Sunday evening at the awards ceremony for top debate students in junior varsity and novice divisions of debate. The award recognizes the top novice from the entire year of debate activity across the nation. CEDA is the largest college policy debate community in the United States.

Levingston began debating for SMU in the fall of 2010 and was a semifinalist at the University of Iowa debate tournament in December.  

SMU had the largest squad of novice teams at this year's national tournament with four novice teams.  Two SMU teams attended without prior debate experience and defeated three teams with considerable college debate experience. SMU's debate teams are coached by Tim Glass, director Ben Voth, and assistant director Chris Salinas. The debate program is part of the Communication Studies division of SMU's Meadows School of the Arts.

The tournament is the oldest and most prestigious novice and junior varsity national tournament in the nation. In 2010, Salinas received the Dick Stine coaching award for the top JV coach of the year at the tournament.  

The ten SMU students debated this year's college debate resolution regarding U.S. policies on immigration.

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