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Forensics team members Ryan Yeh and Alex Bores.

The Cornell Forensics Society, based at the ILR School, was ranked Dec. 1 as the fourth-best parliamentary debate team in the world by the International Debate Education Association.

Placing ahead of traditional powerhouses Oxford University, Cambridge University and Harvard University, Cornell took one of the largest jumps of any top school, rising 42 positions since 2010.

At the start of 2008, Cornell was ranked 212th in parliamentary debate, a format where teams of two debate current events.

The team is having its strongest season ever and has the potential to improve its rank further in 2012, said Alex Bores ILR '13. "Because our team is so young, we may still be able to climb forward next year. It has been exciting watching us get better every year."

In 2011, the Cornell team won the James Madison Cup, the Harthouse International Invitational and the Hobart and William Smith Fall Classic. Two of the final four teams in the Yale International Invitational were from Cornell. Cornell also won the Novice National Championship in April and the first three novice tournaments this semester.

"I'm very happy that Cornell is being recognized as a strong and capable debate program," Cornell Forensics Society President Leah Salgado CALS '12 said. "Without the strong leadership of [coach] Sam Nelson, this would not have been possible." Nelson is a senior lecturer in ILR's forensics department.

Salgado said ILR support "has given us the means and ability to be one of the top programs in the world."

Cornell is ranked behind the University of Sydney and Monash University, both in Australia, and Yale University. Full rankings are available at http://idebate.org.uk/rankings/rankings/.

Cornell will send four teams to the Dec. 27-Jan. 4 World Championships in Manila, The Philippines. In addition to Bores and Salgado, team members are Daniel Blackman ILR '13 and Ryan Yeh '13, Kirat Singh '14, Srinath Reddy '14, Jiali Li '15 and Tarn Susumpow '15, all of the College of Arts and Sciences.