MBA Debate’s 2025–26 season has been one to remember, with the Big Red winning six of eight major events in the regular season and capturing a National Debate Coaches Association National Championship. Russell Howard (’26) and Jimmy Li (’26) earned the Baker Award as the nation’s top duo in the regular season, and now the two can add a Tournament of Champions title to their résumé.
In the final round, Howard and Li defeated Glenbrook North (Illinois) after advancing through an unforgiving elimination bracket that included wins over Blue Valley North (Kansas), Blue Valley Southwest (Kansas), and Westwood (Texas).
The Tournament of Champions, hosted by the University of Kentucky, is widely considered the most prestigious and competitive national championship in high school policy debate. Bids are earned based on finishing position at various events throughout the season, with at least two bids required to compete. This year, MBA had four teams qualify—tied for the most in the country.
Res Seibels (’26) and Oliver Johnston (’26) advanced to the semifinals, finishing in third place after a narrow loss to Glenbrook North prevented an all-MBA final. They entered the elimination rounds as the highest-seeded MBA team and earned impressive victories over Taipei American School (Taiwan) and Newark Science (New Jersey). Currently, the Seibels–Johnston duo is ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Howard–Li.
Fox Travis (’26) and Enno Brandes (’27) also delivered a strong performance, advancing to elimination rounds as the No. 6 seed after going 6–1 in preliminary debates. They won their Round of Sixteen matchup against Mamaroneck (New York) before falling in the quarterfinals—a round in which MBA placed three teams among the final eight. Tate Roh (’29) and Will Fulwider (’27) also qualified for the Tournament of Champions, winning three preliminary debates.
The championship win by Howard and Li marks MBA’s third in program history, joining previous championship duos Raja Gaddipati and Robbie Quinn (1999) and Aden Barton and Sam Meacham (2020). MBA teams have now reached the final round in five of the last seven appearances at the Tournament of Champions, further underscoring a level of sustained excellence recognized across generations of competitors.
“One of our team mottos is, ‘When one of us wins, we all win.’ That was true this weekend,” head coach Josh Clark said. “This championship belongs not only to the students who reached the late elimination rounds, but to every debater on the team who researched, practiced, tested arguments, gave feedback, supported teammates, and helped build the culture that made this possible. Everyone has a place in this championship.”