MSJC Debate Team Celebrates a Semester of Growth, Excellence, and Championship Finishes
12/16/2025
The Mt. San Jacinto College Debate Team has concluded a standout semester marked by growth, competitive success, and a strong presence across the Southern California forensics circuit. Under the leadership of Professor Jenn Baney, the team continued to grow in size and skill, earning multiple awards at three major tournaments this fall.
The season opened at the PSCFA Warm-Up, where MSJC immediately made an impression. The team of Nathan Brandy and Christopher Vasquez earned an Excellent rating—recognition awarded to top-performing teams with strong winning records at this no-elimination tournament. Their success set a confident tone for the rest of the season.
Just weeks later, MSJC traveled to the Griffin Invitational and broke into the elimination rounds. Once again, Brandy and Vasquez advanced to the finals and earned a Bronze Award, placing them among the top teams at the tournament and demonstrating consistent competitiveness.
MSJC closed the semester with its strongest showing yet at the PSCFA Fall Championships, taking home a total of six medals across team and individual categories.
Bronze, Novice Division:
- Noah Thornton and Danielle Martinez
Bronze, Open Division:
- Kendra Williams and James Johnson
In additionto team awards, MSJC celebrated two standout speaker recognitions—acknowledgments reserved for the top individual debaters of the tournament:
- Christopher Vasquez: 6th Place, Novice Speaker Award
- Noah Thornton: 9th Place, Novice Speaker Award
Both speakers ranked among the top 10 best individual debaters in their division—an exceptional achievement for emerging competitors.
The fall semester featured contributions from a dedicated and expanding roster of debaters who represented MSJC with skill, professionalism, and sportsmanship:
- Nathan Brandy
- Sevana Delarosa
- Paris Dowty
- Oscar Gonzalez
- Cameron Gray
- YohanaGutierrez
- James Johnson
- Danielle Martinez
- Noah Thornton
- Christopher Vasquez
- Cassidy Villamil
- Chloe Voss
- Kendra Williams
The MSJC Debate Team continues to build a strong foundation for future academic and competitive success. The team will return in the spring semester ready to train, compete, and represent MSJC at the regional and national levels.