Lewis & Clark Debate Team Wins Five Tournament Titles
Students secured top honors at the Steve Hunt Classic, which ran on campus from October 9 to October 11.
Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Food and Drink
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Lewis & Clark College students secured five top finishes during the Steve Hunt Classic speech and debate tournament held on campus from October 9 to October 11, 2026. The performance marks a strong start to the season for the program as it hosted 26 schools for the Northwest Forensics Conference opening.
Why it matters
The tournament serves as the official season opener for the regional circuit and provided a rare home-turf opportunity for the entire Lewis & Clark team to compete together. The results demonstrate the program's continued momentum following its national title wins in 2025.
The Lewis & Clark team took home two team and three individual first-place finishes across 27 distinct events. The tournament hosted 26 schools and utilized a 15-minute preparation window for British Parliamentary debate rounds.
The players
Lewis & Clark College
A private liberal arts college located in Portland that hosts an award-winning speech and debate program.
Elise Fischer
A Lewis & Clark student who won the Top Speaker award and first place in Senior British Parliamentary debate.
The details
Students navigated 27 different speech and debate events over the three-day tournament. Gray Stacy and Elise Fischer placed first in Senior British Parliamentary debate, while Zuzu Rymes and Pavla Zabáková claimed the top spot in the Junior Circuit. Elise Fischer, Emily Blacker, and Sullivan Moore also secured individual wins, continuing the program's success after its spring 2025 sweep of the YODL national honor division and the National Speech Tournament team title.
Timeline
The tournament took place from October 9 to October 11, 2026.
The program won national titles in the spring of 2025.
Lewis & Clark will host the 2027 Yaatly Online Debate League Championship from April 10 to April 12, 2027.
Beyond the Bridges
This performance at the Steve Hunt Classic follows the pattern of success established by the team's spring 2025 sweep of the YODL national British Parliamentary Honors division. It marks the program's transition into the new Northwest Forensics Conference season.
Residents in the Southwest Portland area may notice increased traffic and activity around the campus during future major tournament weekends. The college will continue its competitive season throughout the spring term ahead of the championship hosted in April.
The takeaway
The program's recent success highlights the depth of the local collegiate debate scene following their 2025 national titles. Interested observers should keep an eye on the upcoming Yaatly Online Debate League Championship scheduled for mid-April 2027.
What happens next
The college is set to host the Yaatly Online Debate League Championship for British Parliamentary from April 10 to April 12, 2027.
Further reading
Learn more about the local event landscape in Portland Food and Drink.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Mossy Log.
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