Farmington Debate dominated the MSHSL 3A Section debate tournament this weekend by finishing as Section Champions for the first time in the program's history. This will be the 8th time in the past nine years that Farmington has qualified for the State Debate Tournament.
The senior team of
Nikola Nounawon-Castro and Will Cannon finished the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record earned by defeating the top teams from Eagan and St. Croix Prep, along with teams from St. Paul Central, Edina, Rosemount and Lakeville North. Nounawon-Castro and Cannon also won the entire "super section" tournament by earning more points than their closest competition, St. Paul Central.
Additionally, junior
Rhea Stier and sophomore Cheyenne Tweit finished 15th overall with a 3-3 record in the Super Section which also earned them a place among the top 24 teams in the state who will compete at the MSHSL State Debate Tournament this coming weekend. Attending State as alternates are junior
Jonathan Alem and sophomore
Aimee Assanga.
This will be Nounawon-Castro and Cannon's third appearance at the State tournament and Steir, Tweit, Alem and Assanga's first. The policy debate topic for the 2025-2026 season is "Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly increase its exploration and/or development of the Arctic."
The Farmington Debaters will be competing at the State Debate Tournament, held at the University of Minnesota on Friday and Saturday, January 16-17, 2026. This will be the 124th State Debate Tournament, having the distinction of being the longest running State Tournament in the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). Farmington Debate is proud to continue being a regular competitor in this distinguished MSHSL event.
In addition to coaching the teams, Head Coach,
Rachel Baumann, is also returning as one of four coaches from around the state who has the responsibility of running and tabulating the State Debate Tournament.
Congratulations to the hard work of the entire debate team to earn this honor and please wish the Farmington Debaters the best of luck at the State Tournament this coming weekend!
