WUDC 2012: Monash Eyes Back-to-Back Title in Open GF

Australia's Monash University is a step away from becoming the first institution to score a second back-to-back victory in the World Universities Debating Championships. #28 Monash B (Amit Golder & Kiran Iyer) advanced to the grandfinal of WUDC 2012 after defeating hot favourites #1 University of Oxford A (Ben Woolgar & Hugh Burns) in a semifinal from which #8 Stanford University A (Faris Mohiuddin & Michael Baer) also progressed to the last debate.

Monash recorded the first back-to-back WUDC wins after bagging the crown in 1999 and 2000. Oxford equalled that feat with the 2008 and 2009 titles. Last year, Victor Finkel and Fiona Prowse secured the third trophy for Monash. The Melbourne-based school's first trophy in 1999 coincidentally came from a WUDC held in the current host city of Manila.

Two other teams who will debate in the grandfinal tonight are #2 Oxford B (Steph Bell & Jen Coyne) and #18 University of Sydney B (Elle Jones & Daniel Swain). Monash's Golder/Iyer defeated the same Sydney team in the final of the recent Melbourne Mini. Sydney's Jones/Swain had better luck in the UK when they won the Oxford IV last November. Oxford's Bell/Coyne reached the finals of the 2011 Cambridge IV while Stanford's Mohiuddin/Baer were finalists of last year's Yale IV.