The University of Virginia’s Mock Trial Team clinched a historic victory at the American Mock Trial Association’s National Championship held recently in Chicago, marking their first national win since 2017 and setting a record with a 94.4% ballot win percentage in the final round. Facing off against Hillsdale College, UVA earned a near-perfect score of 8.5 out of 9 ballots, making it the most decisive final round victory in the history of collegiate Mock Trial.
The intense season, which started with 600-700 teams nationwide, concluded with UVA facing tough opposition from 48 of the best teams in the country at nationals. The mock trial format challenges students to prepare for both prosecution and defense roles. The structure of the tournament included two divisions of 24 teams each, with judges scoring four preliminary rounds based on performances in various parts of the trial, each rated from 1 to 10. The teams that won the most judge ballots from each division moved on to the final round. This year, both the A and B teams from UVa advanced to Nationals, a rare achievement highlighting the club’s depth and talent. The B team, comprised mostly of underclassmen, also made a strong showing, promising a bright future for the club.
The Mock Trial team at UVA starts its preparation early in the fall semester, taking in new members and engaging in numerous practice sessions, scrimmages, and invitational tournaments. The path to the championship was arduous. After progressing through regionals and super regionals, teams are given an entirely new case packet specifically for the national competition, requiring members to draft witness speeches, prepare interrogation and examination questions, and prepare sample responses in only a few weeks. This year, the nationals case centered on involuntary manslaughter, involving a doctor accused of prescribing blood thinners under dubious circumstances, leading to a patient’s death.
The team’s president, third-year Ethan Marx, shared insights into the emotional experience. “To get to be on an attorney bench with two seniors in their final year and to watch them win after working so hard was really cool,” he remarked. The presence of alumni at the event also added to the memorable experience. “The biggest thing I’ll probably remember about it is just getting to be there with the people and having so many of our alumni come and watch.”
First-year members Hovsep Seferian and Bryanna Morales also played pivotal roles in the team’s success at nationals, both receiving the prestigious All-American awards. Bryanna, who had participated in high school mock trial, described the intensity of her nationals experience. “It’s insanity. We fly blind, which means that we don’t know what our scores are or how we’re doing at all. We go into every round fighting, thinking we have to win this or we’re out.” She recounted their first scrimmage, noting, “It was my favorite memory, just because everyone was so terrible. But now, all the work we’ve put into this has paid off.” Hovsep, new to mock trial upon entering university, reflected on his most memorable moment during the award ceremony announcing finalists. “We didn’t know if we were going to make the final round. We thought we were dead… When they announced us, I think I actually celebrated more in that moment than when we actually won.” Bryanna remembered the nerve-wracking competition against Ohio State in a preliminary round. “It was just one of those where you walk out of that, and you’re like, I feel like I just lost that. And we knew that to get into the final, we had to beat them on every single ballot. That’s what made the moment even more insane.”
Looking ahead, the UVA Mock Trial Team is optimistic. Excited to welcome new members and build upon their success, they are committed to maintaining their hallmark professionalism and realism in their presentations. As Bryanna emphasized, their clean-cut and polished approach resonates well with judges and attorneys, setting them apart from the competition. Hovsep echoed this sentiment, highlighting the team’s commitment to professionalism and authenticity, traits appreciated by legal professionals. As Ethan noted, with a core group of talented members returning, the team is poised to defend their title and aim for back-to-back victories.
Leave a Reply