THE Mona Association of Postgraduate Students (MAPS) emerged as winners of the Inter- Campus Postgraduate Debates held in Cave Hill, Barbados, from February 20 to 25.

This victory marks the sixth-consecutive year since MAPS has copped the title.

The team from Mona — which consisted of Krystal Tomlinson who was awarded the title of best speaker, Sandré Rhoden, Coach Sayeed Bernard, and MAPS President Kijana Johnson — defeated teams from The University of the West Indies Open Campus and Cave Hill, Barbados, in the first two rounds before beating the Cave Hill, Barbados, team in the final round.

Johnson said considering the small window given to prepare and execute the competition, he is very proud of the team’s accomplishment.

“We held up well, and it shows that UWI Mona has been consistent in developing its students. I worked tremendously hard as president to assemble the best team to travel to Barbados.

“The team was very much confident of the victory. The debaters and coach are well experienced and boast a wide range of knowledge, especially in current affairs. Their preparation met their knowledge and guided us to victory,” he said.

Sharing the biggest takeaway from the experience, Johnson said, “It’s the fact that hard work certainly cannot be substituted, as others came very prepared for us specifically due to our winning streak of five, now six years.

“It created a lot more pressure, but it also forced us to remain composed and stick to the game plan. This is where the coach was very crucial in that he provided a steady hand to the team, calming the minds and guiding the pens. This allowed the team to execute flawlessly,” he added.

Johnson said while the onus now falls on the incoming postgraduate representatives to assemble another good team for next year, he is willing to assist them with winning the debate competition for a seventh-consecutive year.