Seniors Ben Zimmermann and Fionn Adamian and sophomores Will Arnesen and Sam Arnesen were co-champions of the debate Tournament of Champions this weekend.

The tournament, which is held annually at the University of Kentucky, features the top 100 debaters in the country. In Public Forum debate, teams of two compete against each other. For a debater to qualify, he or she must reach certain elimination rounds in at least two tournaments over the course of the year. TOC is one of the three main debate championships of the year, Zimmermann said.

“We did a good amount of preparation,” he said. Zimmermann and Adamian were runners-up in the Tournament of Champions their sophomore year, as well.

Zimmermann and Adamian met during weeks prior to the championship to discuss the topic and potential arguments. This year’s topic was about prioritizing either the economy or the environment of India. The teams debated seven preliminary rounds, with both pairs finishing 6-1. They moved on to elimination rounds, for which 21 teams qualified.

“They’re all incredibly intelligent, hardworking people,” former debate president Evan Cernea (‘13) said.

Both the senior duo and the sophomore twins won their elimination rounds through the semi-finals, setting them up to meet for the championship. According to tournament rules, however, two teams from the same school cannot debate each other, so both teams were declared co-champions.

“I reckon it was a pretty satisfying result,” Sam Arnesen said.

When asked about the last time two teams were declared co-champions, Cernea could only remember one local tournament from a few years ago.

“It’s almost unheard of,” Cernea said.

Zimmermann said it was a great feeling to see all his teammates excel over the past few years. His classmate, Jessica Levy, made it to the semi-finals as a Lincoln-Douglas debater in the same tournament. Adamian, Levy and Zimmerman are graduating this spring, leaving behind a team with a lot of hope and promise.

Meanwhile, Sam and Will have two more years to defend their title.

“The Arnesens were the talk of the entire tournament,” former Public Forum captain Daniel Schifrin (‘13) said.

Spectators and teammates alike were blown away by Whitman’s performance.

“It was a great way to end a great year,” Zimmermann said.

Will Arnesen is an opinion writer on The Black & White. Fionn Adamian and Ben Zimmermann just finished their Black & White careers as opinion editor and editor-at-large, respectively.