The Fresno State Barking Bulldogs competed in forensics tournaments at San Diego State University (SDSU) on Oct. 6-7 and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) on Oct. 20-22 and came home with a multitude of awards, including a first-place finish at each tournament.
At SDSU, Primavera Leal Martinez and Aranveer Litt won first place in open debate. They were undefeated at the tournament, finishing with seven wins. Drew Oakes won 6th place in open persuasive speaking during his third final round of the season and Nick Mirza and Aaron Lowe finished with four wins, advancing to the semifinals. Three debaters also won speaker awards; Martinez 2nd, Lowe 3rd, and Mirza 8th. New member Raul Villar competed in his first tournament with the Barking Bulldogs, and Hunter Sansom served as a student coach and was instrumental in getting the team members ready.
Next on the schedule was UNLV, a very challenging tournament featuring the top teams from the region and some top out-of-state squads. Jose Carlos Aceves and Kyle Zoldoske won first place in the novice division, defeating the University of Miami in the final round! Zoldoske also won 6th speaker in the division. Martinez and Litt won two debates in a very tough open division, and Mirza and Lowe also finished with two wins.
The wins by Martinez and Litt at SDSU and Aceves and Zoldoske at UNLV that followed the San Francisco State first place finish continue the Barking Bulldogs’ winning streak at three consecutive tournaments!
“Director of Debate Tom Boroujeni, student coach Julio Lopez, and I are very proud of our entire squad,” stated Doug Fraleigh, Director of Forensics. “They have been working very hard all season, and it is a great experience to travel to tournaments with them. The final round success of Aceves and Zoldoske at UNLV was particularly a team effort, with every member of the debate team helping Jose and Kyle to prepare for the finals against Miami.”
The Barking Bulldogs are scheduled to compete in their next tournament at CSU Northridge, November 2-4.
Go ‘Dogs!
The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State 