The UNLV Debate Team (Communication Studies) of Matthew Gomez (Political Science) and Jeffrey Horn (Economics) won the Las Vegas Classic Debate Tournament, held at UNLV in October.
Gomez and Horn finished the preliminary debates with a perfect 7-0 record, defeating teams from Gonzaga, Arizona State University, the University of Wyoming, the University of Iowa, and the University of Texas. They qualified for the elimination rounds of the tournament as the top-seeded team, out of 52 different competitors. In the elimination rounds, they defeated the University of Wyoming and then a string of three different teams from the University of California, Berkeley in the Elite Eight, the Final Four, and then the championship round.
This was the duo's third tournament and first tournament win of the year. At their first two tournaments earlier this year they advanced to the Elite Eight against fields of more than 100 teams.
Jacob Thompson (Communication Studies) serves as the head debate coach.