Wake Forest University sophomores Destiny Hale and Hanna Shakarov have secured victory in the 2025 ACC Debate Championship. They emerged triumphant against Southern Methodist University in the final round held on April 27 in Washington, D.C.
Hale, majoring in computer science from Jefferson, Georgia, and Shakarov, specializing in business and enterprise management from Alpine, New Jersey, were recognized as the top and second overall speakers, respectively. Wake Forest maintained an undefeated record in the preliminary rounds with wins over UNC, Florida State, Miami, and Notre Dame.
The debate topic was “Resolved: Washington D.C. should be granted statehood.”
“Destiny and Hanna were able to meld together arguments from economics, political science, sociology, and communication studies to beat a very talented team from SMU,” stated Jarrod Atchison, the John Medica Director of Debate at Wake Forest. “The win reflects one of the core strengths of Wake Forest Debate, which benefits greatly from our University’s commitment to engaged liberal arts that defy academic silos and helps prepare our students to debate extremely complicated topics.”
The winning team credited their triumph to in-depth research, effective coaching, and strong teamwork.
“I really enjoy the research and strategy side,” Hale expressed. “On the car ride to the tournament, we spent hours thinking through different possibilities and planning out strategies.”
Shakarov added, “Our championship would’ve been impossible without the unwavering support from our coaches, Justin Green and Jarrod Atchison. Destiny and I were very much on the same wavelength, which made the debates not only easier but also very fun. Winning the ACC, especially given the skill and experience of our opponents, was extremely validating.”
This achievement marks Wake Forest’s fifteenth ACC Debate Championship. The tournament, with origins in the 1950s, was revived in 2015 as part of the ACC Academic Consortium.
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