The Wake Forest University debate team won the national championship in intercollegiate debating Monday at the 2023 National Debate Tournament, the university said.
Wake Forest juniors Iyana Trotman and Tajaih Robinson defeated the University of Michigan, 4-1, in the final round.
Wake Forest University was the host of the 77th National Debate Tournament in Chantilly, Va., which is in northern Virginia.
When Trotman and Robinson arrived at the tournament, they knew they were facing some fierce competition, WFU said.
“I was excited to be there,” said Trotman, an African American studies and education major from Newark, N.J. “We were competing against some of the best debate teams in the country. Once the elimination rounds began the feeling of anxiety settled in because we got closer to the finish line.”
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This year’s topic was whether the United States should vest legal rights and/or duties in one or more of the following: artificial intelligence, nature and nonhuman animal species, the university said.
During the competition, Trotman and Robinson also defeated teams from Dartmouth College, the University of Kansas and Michigan State University.
“To win a national debate tournament requires a lot of time and commitment and weekends of being away from campus,” said Robinson, a communication major from New York City. “I’m still in shock and cannot believe it. I am super excited to have won.”
For Trotman, winning the national title is historic.
Troutman is the youngest Black student to ever win the National Debate Tournament, the university said. She is also the third Black woman in its history and the sixth woman ever to win the championship.
“As I debated, the only thing I could think of was making history and setting a path for little Black girls to follow after me,” Troutman said.