The SMU debate team won the Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association State Championship in Bryan, Texas Feb. 3-4.

SMU students Darcy Wyatt, Chip Myers, Matthew Lucci and Maggie Cook-Allen competed for the Mustangs. The team placed No. 1 in the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) category and No. 5 in the speech and debate categories.

Other recognitions from the competition include: Lucci receiving top speaker, Wyatt ranking as No. 8 debater in the state of Texas in IPDA, and Lucci and Cook-Allen taking home No. 1 and No. 2 in the open division debate, a round open to all-varsity, junior varsity and novice debaters.

Winning, however, is not the only thing the SMU debate team excels in. Vice president Lucci told SMU Meadows their team has a close-knit bond.

“The best part of being on the SMU debate team is having the opportunity to engage in intellectual development while in a competitive environment with some of the greatest friends and teammates imaginable,” Lucci said in an article published on the SMU Meadows website.

This idea of friendship within the team was confirmed by Wyatt, a freshman and first-year debater.

“We push each other to grow in our knowledge and capabilities, not only in debate, but in our daily lives,” Wyatt said.

Because of the team’s small numbers, members gets to know each other well while discussing controversial topics and improving their debate skills.

“We like to think we are a family,” Wyatt said. “We definitely argue like one.”