The Elon University Mock Trial Team completed the 2009-2010 season with a breakthrough performance at the American Mock Trial Association’s 2009 Opening Round Championship Tournament from March 13-15 in Easton, Pennsylvania. This tournament marked the first time in the six-year history of Elon Mock Trial that the team advanced beyond the Regional Tournament round of competition.
Coached by Elon Law student William Warihay, a 2007 Elon alumnus, the undergraduate team competed in Easton against teams from the University of Virginia, Lafayette College, Patrick Henry College and Syracuse University in compiling its 4-4 record and 11th place finish overall.
The tournament field also included teams from Georgetown, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, which completed the tournament just one position ahead of Elon.
The team also received its second Spirit of AMTA award of the year, which is given to the team at the tournament that best exemplifies the goals and ideals of civility and fair play in the court room. This award is voted on by the peer competitors at the tournament. Elon seniors Allison Carter and Lauren Nichols won individual awards as the top Attorney and Witness for the tournament respectively.
The top six teams at the tournament received bids to the National Championship Tournament in Iowa, where 48 teams will compete for the American Mock Trial Associations National Championship.
Elon Mock Trial is an integral part of the Prelaw Program at Elon and an affiliate of the Center for Law and Humanities. The team is advised by English professor Eric Ashley Hairston.
The Elon team at Easton was composed of the following students:
Allison Carter ’09
Lauren Nichols ’09
Amanda Haefner ’09
Kathryn Hopkins ’10
Amanda Morrissey ‘10
Carolyn Baumgarten ’11
Amelie Busch ‘11
Jon Keller ’11
Elon Mock Trial is coached by:
William Warihay ’07 and current Elon Law student
Matrice Mebane-Williams, Esq. (adjunct professor of political science)
The complete list of teams at the tournament is:
Brandeis University
College of Holy Cross
Georgetown University
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Howard University
Iona College
Lafayette College
Patrick Henry College
Penn State University
Rutgers University
Saint Vincent College
Syracuse University
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Richmond
University of Virginia
Villanova University