The Mississippi State University Speech and Debate Council placed third in the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) National Championship Tournament, and Mia Robertson is the varsity division champion. Eleven members of the team competed in the debate tournament, and four members advanced beyond preliminary rounds. Mia Robertson, a sophomore studying political science and economics and vice president of the speech team, was recruited to the Mississippi State University debate team after several seasons of successful debate in high school. Robertson said she has come to admire the competitive college debate style, which she said has a far more diverse, friendly and educational style of debate than she experienced in high school.