Debate Team Wins Coveted West Point Saber in Tournament Championship

This fall, the Rutgers University-Newark Debate Team, housed at Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration, proudly set a sword and hilt atop its trophy case – a symbol of a well-earned victory at the West Point Debate Tournament. 

Despite strong annual performances in previous years, the prized West Point Saber had been an elusive dream until debate pair Jaye Ross (SPAA '19) and David Asafu-Adjaye (NCAS '21) defeated Liberty University in the tournament's final round. 

"The West Point saber has been a championship award we have sought as a program since we were founded years ago," said Chris Kozak, debate team director. "It was one of the first major goals we set out to accomplish as a new program. Our success at West Point this year is a testament to the legacy of other Rutgers debaters who have tried before, and shows that the championship culture that we have established in Newark persists in the next generation of debate students."