Tournaments at MSU
The Cowbell Classic had its initial run in February 2017, featuring 20 high schools from Mississippi and Tennessee. The Classic is a varsity tournament offering all NSDA and MHSAA events in speech and debate, along with debate and overall sweeps, top speaker awards, and debate speaker awards.
The StarkVegas Debate Invitational is an intercollegiate debate tournament hosted for the first time in October 2025. The tournament features all four divisions of IPDA debate (pro, varsity, junior varsity, and novice) along with Team IPDA (TIPDA) debate.
The Stennis Novice Tournament is an annual tradition on MSU’s campus, sponsored and hosted each fall by the Stennis Center for Public Service. Hosted by the Stennis Center for Public Service, the Novice Tournament offers a unique opportunity for high school students in their first year of competition to compete in debate and individual events, attend workshops with top coaches, and generally hone their skills in a friendly and educational environment.
