Northern Arizona University had its best finish ever at the sixth annual Regents’ Cup, with Courtney Hoffman and Karli VanderMeersch winning the Oxford debate competition and Hayder Alainizi taking third place in storytelling.
Hoffman is studying philosophy, politics and law; VanderMeersch, who is the ASNAU president and member of the Honors College, is getting dual degrees in psychological sciences and criminology and criminal justice. Alainizi is a philosophy major.
NAU’s team was coached by Sarah Walker, a speech and debate expert and assistant teaching professor in the School of Communication, and Russell Pryba, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Philosophy. Other members of the 2025 NAU team were:
- Jackline Ballang, English literature
- Sarah Bates, hotel and restaurant management
- Collins Chukwunonso Ezea, applied sociology
- Trinity Hamilton, psychology
- Charis Hayward, journalism
- Shelby Kalil, communication
- Sage Kaminski, psychological sciences
- Catherine Kirchoff, university studies: clarinet and German
- Augustine Obasi, MFA in creative writing
- Miguel Angel Soto Pachuca, philosophy
- Emma Prater, criminology and criminal justice
- Zachary Tolson, philosophy, politics and law
- Kaela Wilson, philosophy
See photos from the event, held Saturday at the Flagstaff Mountain campus.
Hoffman, who said the students spent about six hours a week for several months preparing, chose to participate because she wanted to make sure her voice was heard. She and VanderMeersch had already worked together in Mock Trial, so their partnership on the debate stage was easy. They did disagree—amicably, and fully discussed with all points heard and acknowledged—on font size. The two had a great partnership, she said.
“This year’s topic was the social contract, and as a philosophy student, this concept means a lot to me on a personal level,” she said. “Getting to compete in the Oxford Debate and expressing why the rights of the people need to be protected will be something I remember for the rest of my life.”
The theme is also what attracted VanderMeersch, who said the social contract reflects how people define their responsibilities to others in a shared society. This gave her extra appreciation for Walker and Pryba, the rest of the team and the members of the NAU community who supported the Regents’ Cup team.
“Winning together was surreal,” VanderMeersch said, noting the relationship she and Hoffman already had. “I remember holding her hand, trying to hold myself together, when they called our names. I am so grateful to have had her as my debate partner through this all; I honestly would not have been able to do it without her.”
The Regents’ Cup is a signature initiative of the Arizona Board of Regents’, using collegial competition to promote free speech and civil discourse. Judged by a panel of 50 esteemed professionals, the event is designed to foster critical thinking, creativity and a deeper respect for problem solving through civil discourse.