2024 Bennett Strange Coach of the Year Nominees

Below are Coaches that have been nominated for the award for 2023/2024:
 
Rebekah Whitaker (Union University) - Nominated by Dr. Brandon Knight (William Carey University)
I am writing to nominate Union University’s coach, Rebekah Heflin Whitaker, for the 2023-2024 IPDA Coach of the Year award.  Rebekah is deserving of this great honor for several reasons. However, for brevity’s sake, I will only expound upon a few reasons I decided to nominate her.

First, Rebekah loves the IPDA community and actively works to see its continued success. I experienced this personally. I still remember being new to the association and feeling as if it was an uphill battle to fill the shoes of my predecessor; nevertheless, Rebekah actively reached out to me which encouraged my continued participation in IPDA. Similarly, her camaraderie has even helped fuel our program’s participation and success in the association through a number of virtual scrimmages between our students.

Second, despite financial cuts to the Speech & Debate program at Union University. Rebekah has continued to lead her team to success. Although I do not know the extent of the departmental cuts, Rebekah has shared with me in numerous conversations that they were facing cuts to traveling expenses and thus tournament participation. Despite this, the Union program somehow has continued to stand out among the best in our association. It is my view that their continued success is due to Rebekah’s great leadership.

Finally, Rebekah deserves this award because of the high bar she provides for other coaches, including me, when looking for examples worthy of respect and imitation. As is known, Rebekah has travelled, judged, and even hosted a virtual tournament while pregnant. Even more, I recently discovered that, although she missed the BPCC tournament because of the baby’s due date, she was still fielding calls in the hospital room to help students prep cases which resulted in Union winning 1st place in TIPDA. Her dedication and service to student success is admirable and shines forth the values worthy of imitation of all IPDA coaches.
It is for these reasons that I nominate Rebekah Heflin Whitaker to receive the 2023-2024 IPDA Coach of the Year.

Rebekah Whitaker (Union University) - Nominated by Dr. Michael Ingram (Whitworth University)
I would like to nominate Rebekah Whitaker of Union University as the 2024 IPDA Coach of the Year. For many years, she has guided the Union team to a consistent pattern of success. Her students perform well across novice, junior varsity, varsity, and pro divisions. Union debaters are consistently smart, well-spoken and strong debaters.  More importantly, they are the kind of humans one wants to engage with in academic discourse. They reflect excellent teaching and coaching in their demeanor and their argumentation. It is a joy to debate with and judge Union students, and I am delighted to nominate their outstanding coach for this award.  

Megan Smith (Union University) - Nominated by A.J. Edwards (LSU Shreveport)
I would like to formally nominate Louisiana Tech University Coach Megan Smith for the Bennett Strange Coach of the Year. Megan has shown continuous dedication to the students on her team, the IPDA, and its many competitors over the years. Megan’s teams consistently compete with the highest moral and ethical standards, which reflects her coaching philosophies. Megan works tirelessly with her current and past students to ensure they all have every opportunity to succeed in our debate community and their educational endeavors. Furthermore, Megan is at the forefront of the IPDA’s philanthropic efforts to fight childhood cancer. She encourages participation and education on behalf of her students and has helped the organization advance its charitable mission. These characteristics exemplify what the Bennett Strange Coach of the Year is.  It is an honor to consider Megan a close personal friend and colleague, and it is an honor to nominate her for this award.


Phil Sharp (University of Nevada - Reno) - Nominated by Ryan Guy (Modesto Junior College)
I am pleased to nominate Phil Sharp from the University of Nevada, Reno, for the Bennett Strange Coach of the Year award. Phil's dedication to IPDA in Northern California has been instrumental in expanding the event's reach and strengthening the regional community. His advocacy has directly increased participation and tournament offerings, including full elimination rounds at our Spring Championships. Phil's insightful judging critiques provide students with invaluable guidance, helping them adapt to diverse IPDA styles. His success in coaching his own talented and competitive team further demonstrates his commitment and skill.

Phil's contributions have significantly benefited IPDA in our region. I strongly believe his passion and impact make him a highly deserving recipient of the Bennett Strange Coach of the Year award.

Hannah Morris (University of Arkansas) - Nominated by Jade Vasquez (University of Arkansas)
Hello, my name is Jade Vasquez. I am with the University of Arkansas Debate. In all of my public speaking/debate years I have never met a coach quite like Hannah Morris. Hannah is the most quick witted, out-going, intelligent, selfless, and most beautiful person (inside and out) I have ever met!  She is such a light to our team. She deserves so much recognition and that is why I am writing to you today.