Howard Payne University’s Student Speaker Bureau speech and debate team competed at their season opener at the University of Texas at Dallas DFW Swing tournament on October 4-6.

Freshman Rylie Burden, Guy D. Newman Honors Academy and social science jurisprudence major from Nederland, won the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) open debate division and was named top IPDA speaker at the tournament.

Katelyn Sims, team captain and junior Guy D. Newman Honors Academy and global studies major from Cleburne, was the fifth place IPDA speaker and a quarterfinalist.

“These two debaters really stepped up their level of competition at this tournament and performed exceptionally well. Of the top eight debaters, HPU held two spots as well as two of the top five speaker positions, quite an impressive showing at our first tournament,” said Dr. Julie Welker, professor of communication and chair of the Department of Communication, and coach of the team.

HPU SSB won third place debate sweepstakes with only three debaters. HPU competed against 13 universities, including Texas Christian University, UT Dallas, Texas Tech University, Southern Methodist University, UT El Paso, Arizona State University, West Texas A&M University, the University of North Texas and more. HPU was the only private Baptist university competing in the tournament.

“Most schools there had teams of 10 or more members, so we were very pleased with winning a sweepstakes award,” said Welker. “It’s not easy competing against large universities with big programs and big budgets, so it makes me very proud of the high quality of our team members.”

The team also competed in individual events. Burden won second place in impromptu speaking and third place in extemporaneous speaking. Sims won sixth place in informative speaking. Katie Richards, freshman strategic communication and theatre major from Brownfield, placed fourth in persuasive speaking and fifth in programmed oral interpretation.

Welker said that the team is refocusing their attention to individual events this year as well as continuing excellence in debate.

“Our team has really been working hard this semester on both individual speeches and debate practice. Between class time and evening debate practice, these students have shown a strong work ethic. Katelyn is doing a great job as team captain leading the team,” said Welker.

Also competing in the tournament was senior Matthew Campos, criminal justice major from Snyder.

The team will travel to Texas Tech University in November for the Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association Fall Championship tournament.

To support HPU’s Student Speaker Bureau with funds to help with travel expenses and other related needs, please visit www.hputx.edu/give and select “Other” below the “Designation” heading. A space will then be provided to type “Student Speaker Bureau,” and the donation form can then be completed accordingly.

High school students interested in pursuing their undergraduate education at HPU and competing on the team should contact Dr. Welker at [email protected]. All members of the team must audition and are eligible to receive a scholarship based on their previous speech and debate accomplishments.

Applications for admission to HPU for the fall 2025 semester are being accepted. Those interested in applying can contact the Office of Admissions at 325-649-8020 or [email protected] or visit www.hputx.edu/apply.