HPU Speech and Debate Team Earns Honors at Tournament

Howard Payne University students excel in debate competitions against top schools in Texas and Louisiana.

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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The Howard Payne University Student Speaker Bureau speech and debate team recently competed at the Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association Spring Championship tournament, held at Texas State University in San Marcos. The team brought home significant awards, with several students advancing to the elimination rounds and earning top speaker placements in both the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) and National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) divisions.

Why it matters

HPU's strong performance at this high-level debate tournament showcases the university's commitment to developing students' critical thinking, public speaking, and advocacy skills. Competing against larger public universities, HPU's small private Christian school was able to hold its own and earn recognition, highlighting the quality of its speech and debate program.

The details

In his tournament debut, freshman Adriaan Lafferty was a quarterfinalist in IPDA open debate and earned 9th place speaker overall. Solomon Sabo advanced to octofinals in IPDA open debate and placed 2nd in IPDA speaker awards. In NPDA parliamentary debate, the team of Sabo and Rylie Burden were semifinalists and earned 2nd and 4th place speaker awards respectively. The freshman NPDA team of Lafferty and Chloe Jones also earned top novice parliamentary debate team.

  • The tournament was held on March 4-5, 2026 at Texas State University in San Marcos.
  • HPU's team will compete next at the National Christian College Forensics Association national tournament in March 2026 at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington.

The players

Adriaan Lafferty

A freshman at HPU, Lafferty is a Guy D. Newman Honors Academy and jurisprudence major from Elgin who was a quarterfinalist in IPDA open debate and earned 9th place speaker overall in his tournament debut.

Solomon Sabo

A Guy D. Newman Honors Academy, public policy and Christian studies major from Melissa, Sabo advanced to octofinals in the IPDA open debate division and earned 2nd place IPDA speaker at the tournament.

Rylie Burden

A Guy D. Newman Honors Academy and social science jurisprudence major from Lubbock, Burden was a semifinalist in NPDA parliamentary debate and earned 4th place speaker.

Chloe Jones

A psychology major from Schertz, Jones teamed with Lafferty to earn top novice parliamentary debate team.

Dr. Julie Welker

Professor of communication and chair of the Department of Communication at HPU, Welker is the coach of the speech and debate team.

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What they’re saying

“These three debaters are excelling at tournaments, setting the bar high and competing against some really strong debate schools. I'm so proud of their work ethic and excellent performance at this tournament.”

— Dr. Julie Welker, Professor of communication and chair of the Department of Communication, and coach of the team (brownwoodnews.com)

“Besides the fact that we compete against the top public universities in Texas, having 40% of NPDA speaker awards and 30% of IPDA speakers is notable. These students are competing at a high level of competition and doing remarkably well.”

— Dr. Julie Welker, Professor of communication and chair of the Department of Communication, and coach of the team (brownwoodnews.com)

“In a world marked by polarizing ideas and vitriolic political debate, I'm so pleased that we are educating students in civil advocacy in an educational debate setting. This prepares our students for futures in successful careers in many areas.”

— Dr. Julie Welker, Professor of communication and chair of the Department of Communication, and coach of the team (brownwoodnews.com)

What’s next

The HPU speech and debate team will compete next at the National Christian College Forensics Association national tournament, held at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington in March 2026.

The takeaway

HPU's strong performance at this high-level debate tournament, competing against larger public universities, showcases the quality and success of the university's speech and debate program in developing students' critical thinking, public speaking, and advocacy skills for future careers.