Another Successful Great Salt Lake Invitational & UTEP Classic for the JRP
On January 16 -18, 2026, the John R. Park Debate Society hosted the 17th annual Great Salt Lake Invitational swing tournament alongside partners from the University of Texas at El Paso. Competing and hosting on home turf made for an engaging, exciting, and successful weekend for the JRP. All members of the team had the opportunity to compete in two separate individual event tournaments and a full NPDA tournament.
Over the course of the weekend, members of the JRP accumulated 13 speech nationals qualifications and achieved 41 out-round appearances across speech and debate competitions. Samantha Watrin and Benjamin Verbeck-O'Brien even secured the first-place finish in the team's first NPDA tournament of the season. This impressive finish earned the pair the Malcolm O. Sillars tournament champion award, which honors one of Utah’s emeriti faculty in argumentation & debate.
The team will continue its season at the Texas Open policy debate tournament in Austin, Texas, at the end of the month!
COMPLETE RESULTS
Great Salt Lake Invitational Speech Part 1 Awards
1st place - Communication Analysis - Jeremy Parrish
1st place - Extemporaneous Speaking - Aubrie Powers
1st place - Dramatic Interpretation - Jeremy Parrish
2nd place - After Dinner Speaking - Aubrie Powers
2nd place - Programmed Oral Interpretation - Clara Tyler
2nd place - Persuasive Speaking - Myra Hicks
2nd place - Communication Analysis - Samantha Watrin
3rd place - Poetry Interpretation - Juan Boscan
4th place - After Dinner Speaking - Gavin Serr
4th place - Communication Analysis - Juan Boscan
4th place - Impromptu Speaking - Myra Hicks
4th place - Informative Speaking - Andrew Funai
4th place - Prose Interpretation- Elliot Tilley
4th place - Extemporaneous Speaking - Samantha Watrin
5th place - Impromptu Speaking - Jeremy Parrish
5th place - Informative Speaking - Aidan Brewer
6th place - Prose Interpretation - Emily Scott
6th place - Extemporaneous Speaking - Myra Hicks
Great Salt Lake Invitational NPDA Debate Awards
Malcolm O. Sillars Tournament Champions - Samantha Watrin & Benjamin Verbeck-O'Brien
Semifinalists - Jeremy Parrish & Aubrie Powers
Quarterfinalists - Myra Hicks & Maria Manousakis
Quarterfinalists - Juan Boscan & Aidan Brewer
Quarterfinalists - Andrew Funai & Elliot Tilley
Great Salt Lake Invitational NPDA Speaker Awards
2nd place - Aubrie Powers
3rd place - Samantha Watrin
5th place - Benji Verbeck-O’Brien
7th place - Jeremy Parrish
8th place - Aidan Brewer
10th place - Juan Boscan
UTEP Classic Speech Part 2 Awards
1st place- After Dinner Speaking - Gavin Serr
1st place - Communication Analysis - Samantha Watrin
1st place - Prose Interpretation - Emily Scott
2nd place - Persuasive Speaking - Myra Hicks
2nd place - Poetry Interpretation - Juan Boscan
2nd place - After Dinner Speaking - Aubrie Powers
2nd place - Communication Analysis - Jeremy Parrish
2nd place - Extemporaneous Speaking - Samantha Watrin
3rd place - Dramatic Interpretation - Jeremy Parrish
3rd place - Communication Analysis - Juan Boscan
3rd place - Extemporaneous Speaking - Aubrie Powers
4th place - Poetry Interpretation - Benji Verbeck-O’Brien
4th place - Extemporaneous Speaking - Maria Manousakis
4th place - Programmed Oral Interpretation - Clara Tyler
4th place - Impromptu Speaking - Myra Hicks
5th place - Impromptu Speaking - Jeremy Parrish
5th place - After Dinner Speaking - Clara Tyler
6th place - Informative - Benji Verbeck-O’Brien
UTEP Classic Sweepstakes Awards
1st place - 4-year Division