WUDC 2014: Sydney Advance With Best Score Ever (Open Break)

University of Sydney B (Elle Jones & Chris Bisset) did not only break first into the knockouts of the 2014 World Universities Debating Championships. With 26 points after winning 8 out of 9 preliminary rounds and coming second in only one debate, they became the first team in the history of WUDC to score that high. Previous record holder University of Oxford A (Lewis Iwu & Samir Deger-Sen) hauled 25 points in WUDC 2008 Bangkok, which they eventually won.   

While the rest had thin margins between them, Sydney B were four points clear from their closest rival #2 University of Cambridge A (Ashish Kumar & Thomas Simpson). All teams that secured 18 points or more advanced along with 8 pairs that bagged 17. Among the 48 qualified teams, there are 3 from Asia -- #26 Ateneo de Manila University A (Allan Cabrera & Paulina Robles), #38 Indian Institute of Technology Bombay B (Souradip Sen & Ritvik Chauhan) and #47 International Islamic University A (Syed Saddiq & Mubarrat Wassey).

The top 16 teams go straight to the octofinals while #17-48 must battle it out in the pre-octos to fill up the remaining 16 slots. The main break list is as follows:

1. University of Sydney B (AUS) - 26
2. University of Cambridge A (ENG) - 22
3. Monash University A (AUS) - 21
4. Harvard University A (USA) - 21
5. McGill University A (CAN) - 21
6. University of Canterbury A (NZL) - 21
7. University of Cape Town B (SAF) - 21
8. University of Melbourne A (AUS) - 20
9. University of Otago A (NZL) - 20
10. University of Cambridge B (ENG) - 20
11. Australian National University B (AUS) - 20
12. London School of Economics B (ENG) - 20
13. University of Sydney A (AUS) - 19
14. University of St. Andrews A (SCO) - 19
15. University of Auckland A (NZL) - 19
16. Imperial College (ENG) - 19
17. Monash University B (AUS) - 19
18. University of Oxford B (ENG) - 19
19. Cornell University B (USA) - 19
20. University of Birmingham A (ENG) - 19
21. Bates College A (USA) - 19
22. University of New South Wales B (AUS) - 19
23. University of Oxford C (ENG) - 19
24. Yale University A (ENG) - 18
25. Victoria University of Wellington A (NZL) -18
26. Ateneo de Manila University A (PHL) - 18
27. University of Glasgow A (SCO) - 18
28. Monash University C (AUS) - 18
29. University of Cambridge C (ENG) - 18
30. Yale University B (USA) - 18
31. Stanford University A (USA) - 18
32. BPP University A (ENG) - 18
33. University of Melbourne B (AUS) - 18
34. University of Melbourne C (AUS) - 18
35. Western University A (CAN) - 18
36. University of Queensland B (AUS) - 18
37. University of New South Wales A (AUS) - 18
38. Indian Institute of Technology Bombay B (IND) - 18
39. Bates College B (USA) - 18
40. University of Belgrade A (SRB) - 18
41. Hart House, University of Toronto A (CAN) - 17
42. University of Oxford A (ENG) - 17
43. University of Western Australia A (AUS) - 17
44. University of Cape Town A (SAF) - 17
45. University of Sydney C (AUS) - 17
46. University of Queensland A (AUS) - 17
47. International Islamic University A (MAL) - 17
48. University of Otago B (NZL) - 17