Bulldogs Win Third-Place Trophy at Sioux Falls Tourney

MHS debaters captured the third-place Class A Sweepstakes trophy at the Sioux Falls Roosevelt Tournament held in Harrisburg on February 10. The Bulldogs scored 169 points to finish eight points behind Beresford and 15 behind Lennox, who was named the champion. This was the largest tournament of the season with teams from as far away as Rapid City, Douglas, and Sturgis Brown. Max Schuelke made the stage individually for Milbank. Schuelke placed seventh out of 57 entries in the Domestic Extemp event.

Shane Spiering and Trixie Coalter, members of the varsity Bulldogs Public Forum team, ended with a 3-2 record. MHS Head coach, Kathy Tyler, said, “It was impressive, considering it was their first time competing at the varsity level.”

Taylor Hallquist was forced to debate without her partner for most of the day. She won the first two rounds on her own and ended the day with a 2-3 record. Dana Chan and Charlotte Street ended their JV Public Forum competition with a 4-1 record, but each achieved a perfect speaking score in their last round.

Bri Hicks and Max Schuelke participated in varsity Lincoln-Douglas. Charlotte Street entered Domestic Extemp. Shane Spiering participated in International Extemp. Trixie Coalter participated in the Program Oral Interp category, and Bri Hicks and Dana Chan entered Informative Oratory. The tournament at Roosevelt ended the Bulldogs’ regular debate season for 2023-2024

What’s next? The National Qualifying Tournament will be held on Friday and Saturday, February 16-17, in Harrisburg.
Coach Tyler says “It’s quite the experience! Our competitors are schools in the northern half of the state, including Brookings, Watertown, and Aberdeen. Max qualified last year in Lincoln-Douglas, and he and others are looking forward to a great tournament. A challenge awaits us! ”