SOUTHEAST DEBATE TEAM COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL SEASON

The Southeast Missouri State University debate team has completed its most successful season in many years, with a two-student team finishing seventh of 83 teams recently in the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament.

Jay Goff of Ballwin and Christy Filla of Washington finished in the top 10 at the tournament held at Monmouth College and qualified for an award of excellence.

The Goff-Filla team also recently finished second in the state behind Southwest Baptist University. The second-place finish marked the first time a Southeast team has placed at the state tournament since 1982, university officials said.

Overall, the Southeast Missouri State squad compiled a total of 58 points toward a national and regional ranking, the highest total ever by a Southeast squad.

This year's total gives Southeast a national ranking in the top 25 percent and a regional ranking of 17th in the 63-school Midwest region, university officials said.

Squad members were honored recently at an annual awards banquet. Dan Byron of Hillsboro received the Best Novice Debater Award. Filla won the Forrest H. Rose Award and Goff received the Distinguished Service Award.

In addition, winners of the Rush H. Limbaugh Scholarship for the 1991-92 academic year were announced. The winners are Linda Allee of Cape Girardeau, Jeni Rigdon of St. Charles and Timm Schowalter of Chesterfield. The scholarships each pay $1,600 a year toward university fees.

Rush Limbaugh, a Cape Girardeau native and nationally recognized radio talk-show personality, established the scholarship fund in 1987 in honor of his family. The scholarship is designed to reward upperclassmen in speech and communication and/or speech education who have demonstrated academic ability, strength of character and leadership potential.