SHU Mock Trial Team Enters National Tournament
Thursday, March 23, 2023
Top left to right: Meaghan Phillips, Michael Guarnieri, Dominic Pope, Dionysius Georgopoulos, Anabel Pierre, Isabelle Agustin. Bottom left to right: Zachery Dora, Lillian Veits, Nicholas Webb, Isabela Toovey.
For the first time in thirteen years, Seton Hall University's Mock Trial Program has qualified for the American Mock Trial Association's (AMTA) National Championship Tournament with a record-breaking 6 wins and 2 losses. This is the second year in Seton Hall history that a SHU Mock team has ever progressed to the Nationals level.
More than 600 teams competed at Regional AMTA tournaments during the past season. Now, Seton Hall is among the top 48 teams and currently the only New Jersey team who will be competing at the National tournament. At their regional tournament, the team competed against the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University, sweeping both teams. SHU Mock ended with a 7-1 record and a competitive strength of 15 – the best record they have ever finished with at regionals. The team made it out with the second bid to the Opening Round Championship Series.
The weekend of March 11th saw the Opening Round Championship Series tournament at George Washington University. Team competitors included captains Lillian Veits and Nicholas Webb, seniors Isabela Toovey and Zachery Dora, juniors Meaghan Phillips, Dominic Pope, and Anabel Pierre, sophomores Michael Guarnieri and Isabelle Agustin, and freshman Dionysious Georgopoulos. Seton Hall faced off against American University and Howard University, among others. Howard University's A-Team is ranked 27th in the country. Seton Hall finished the round with them going 1-1.
The weekend was undoubtedly successful, with not only a bid to Nationals being won, but with two SHU Mock members earning individual awards for their performances – Zachery Dora earning an outstanding witness award and Isabela Toovey earning an outstanding attorney award. Isabela Toovey has earned an award at every tournament she attended this year.
The coaching staff that led the team to Nationals is entirely home grown. Head Coach Ivan Saperstein, an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University, works alongside Seton Hall graduates and former mock trial competitors Nicholas Owens (2016), Jaclyn Emm (2021) and Ryan Estes (2021) to help guide the team.
The team is set to compete at Nationals April 14th-16th, at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.
Categories: Arts and Culture, Campus Life
