News flash: The Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl competition was held today, and the two teams that the department sponsored did very well. In fact, one of the teams came in second place in the Northwest Region, which means that they qualify to participate in the national tournament in Cincinnati! For more details, read on . . .

Our two teams were named "The Avengers" and "The Brilliant Beasts." The Beasts were the less experienced team, but they competed ably against the University of British Columbia, Montana State, and Whitworth University. That last match was against the defending regional champions, and our team fought to what looked like a clear win, only to have it taken away by some judges who wouldn't recognize a good argument if it bit them on the nose. That close loss (117 to 113) would nonetheless end up being a key match for us.

The Avengers were coming back from last year's disappointing loss in the semifinals. Last year, we went into the semifinals with a 2-1 record, having only lost to Whitworth -- a team that was also the defending regional champion in 2008. In a case of deja vu, the Avengers went into the semifinals with a 2-1 record, and they were matched up against . . . Whitworth. Throughout the sporting world, there's a common expression: "The road to Cincinnati goes through Whitworth." We were ready this time. With the wind at our back after a convincing win over UBC, and with Whitworth shaken by the strong performance of the Brilliant Beasts, the Avengers came back to avenge their loss earlier in the day and the two losses last year, winning 142-137. That win put us into the finals, where we lost a close match against UBC. Still, because we came in second, CWU will be one of only 32 teams competing in the national tournament.

The coaches and students have been doing research and having practices for weeks to prepare for the event, and we have a lot more work ahead of us to prepare for nationals. However, this is a good time to pause and congratulate the participants.

Avengers: Ashley Goo, Phillip Downes, Patrick O'Brien, Casie Dunleavy, Mike Moceri, Allison Radabaugh

Brilliant Beasts: Ben Conner, Ryan Brill, Christian Torimino, Brandee Lantis, Vince Chisholm

Coaches: Matt Altman and Alain Beauclair

If you see any of these people next week, throw confetti at them and cheer.

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