W&L Ethics Bowl Team Qualifies for National Competition

By Brian Laubscher
December 18, 2025

The Washington and Lee University ethics team recorded a second-place finish at the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) Chesapeake Region Ethics Bowl held Dec. 6 at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC). The finish carries an automatic bid to the APPE National Championship held March 7-8 in St. Louis.

The W&L team, consisting of Katia Apedoh '28, Joshua Davidson '28, Roman Schlichter '26, Amanda Tan '26 and Korbin Williams '29, finished as runner-up to UMBC with only a two-point differential from one judge. The top three teams from the regional competition all received an invitation to nationals. W&L will be competing at the national championship for the first time in school history.

"The students worked for months preparing 15 different cases, 12 of which were discussed across the four preliminary rounds, semifinal and final," said Paul Gregory, professor of philosophy and team co-coach along with Angela Sun, assistant professor of philosophy. "Impeccable execution by the students paid off. The team's forceful arguments and responses to questions from opponents and judges meant that we came in second by a mere two points. Professor Sun and I are incredibly excited to take the team to nationals in March."

W&L advanced to the regional's semifinal round by going undefeated against West Chester University, Virginia Military Institute, Pennsylvania State University and Villanova University. The squad won all 12 of the judges' ballots following the preliminary rounds, ranking second out of the 16 teams.

W&L took on St. Mary's College of Maryland in the semifinals, losing one judge's ballot, winning another and tying on the third ballot. The tie resulted in a coin flip, which W&L won to advance to the finals against UMBC.

The national competition will feature 36 teams from various regions coming together at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch. The teams will compete using prepared cases drawn from real-life examples in education, business and politics. The participating teams are judged not by their answers to specific questions, but by their ability to identify and analyze the ethical dimensions of each case in a clear, focused and thoughtful manner and with an appreciation for varied perspectives. More than 200 teams from 170-plus schools competed in the regional competitions to earn their spot in the national competition.

The APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl is an undergraduate ethical reasoning and argumentation competition. The competition is a collaborative and educational experience in practical and professional ethics. Teams analyze and present arguments centered on today's most pressing issues and then go head-to-head in front of a panel of judges, offering their perspectives on the multiple ethical dimensions of the case.

If you know a W&L student who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.