Debating in the Heart of Texas
A dedicated group of St. Mark’s community members worked three days straight to host one of the School’s largest annual events: The Heart of Texas Invitational Debate Tournament. While most of the students and faculty enjoyed a Friday off from school, St. Mark’s debate team members, together with their coaches and parent volunteers, welcomed more 400 students, judges and coaches from more than 20 states, plus an additional 200 students participating in online events.
“I’ve lost count of how many people volunteered their time, from students showing up early and staying late, to parents and staff members going above and beyond to make our guests feel welcome,” debate coach and tournament organizer Tim Mahoney said. “As the tournament was getting underway, someone asked why I didn’t seem more stressed. The answer was simple – I’m surrounded by a community with an absolute commitment to excellence. On top of that, our boys still competed at the highest level, proving once again to be among the best debaters in the nation.”
Nathan Tan ’27 and Christian Denis ’26 reached the elimination rounds in novice cross-examination debate. Andrew Liu ’26 and Ekaksh Bansal ’26 finished 2nd in the JV division. Based on reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament, St. Mark’s top two teams (seniors Sid Bidare/Anish Guddati and Ahsan Tahirkheli/Ashrit Manduva) are very likely to retain their top 10 national rankings. Juniors Andrew Jin and Samuel Posten also reached the elimination rounds in varsity, which would have slated them against their St. Mark's teammates. Since teams from the same school do not compete against each other, the senior pair of Bidare/Guddati earned a bye to the octafinals.
St. Mark’s began the Heart of Texas Invitation Debate Tournament in 1985. It was the first national-level debate tournament hosted in the Dallas area.
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“I’ve lost count of how many people volunteered their time, from students showing up early and staying late, to parents and staff members going above and beyond to make our guests feel welcome,” debate coach and tournament organizer Tim Mahoney said. “As the tournament was getting underway, someone asked why I didn’t seem more stressed. The answer was simple – I’m surrounded by a community with an absolute commitment to excellence. On top of that, our boys still competed at the highest level, proving once again to be among the best debaters in the nation.”
Nathan Tan ’27 and Christian Denis ’26 reached the elimination rounds in novice cross-examination debate. Andrew Liu ’26 and Ekaksh Bansal ’26 finished 2nd in the JV division. Based on reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament, St. Mark’s top two teams (seniors Sid Bidare/Anish Guddati and Ahsan Tahirkheli/Ashrit Manduva) are very likely to retain their top 10 national rankings. Juniors Andrew Jin and Samuel Posten also reached the elimination rounds in varsity, which would have slated them against their St. Mark's teammates. Since teams from the same school do not compete against each other, the senior pair of Bidare/Guddati earned a bye to the octafinals.
St. Mark’s began the Heart of Texas Invitation Debate Tournament in 1985. It was the first national-level debate tournament hosted in the Dallas area.
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Liam Seward ’24 and Harry Wang ’24 present their argument.
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St. Mark’s School of Texas
10600 Preston Road
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
About Us
St. Mark’s School of Texas is a private, nonsectarian college-preparatory boys’ day school for students in grades 1 through 12, located in Dallas, Texas. St. Mark’s aims to prepare young men to assume leadership and responsibility in a competitive and changing world.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
