After a season of diligence and impressive performances, Claremont McKenna's Mock Trial Team has a shot at top honors at the American Mock Trial Association's National Championship Tournament this month. CMCers Abhi Nemani '10, Martin Gilbert '09, Jacinth Sohi '11, Brendan Sasso '10, Divya Vishwanath '11, Darell Hayes '10, Roxanne Phen '10, and Jennifer Volk '11 will compete in Des Moines, Iowa, April 17-19, at the Polk County Courthouse.
Of the more than 600 college and university teams registered at the beginning of the season, only 48 teams will compete in this month's championship. In order to qualify for this level of competition, CMC had to finish in the top eight teams at the regional tournament in Fresno, and then in the top six at the first round of nationals in Irvine. Two CMC teams qualified for the opening round national tournament, as a few had in years past, but this is the first time any CMC team has qualified for the national championship tournament.
"It's a huge honor to make it this far," says regional tournament director and co-captain Martin Gilbert '09. "We had to beat a lot of really talented, hardworking teams. We've been rising up the ranks for the past few years, and we hope this bid to the national championship will really make the Mock Trial elite take notice."
The tournament is also a personal success for Gilbert, who aspired to get to Nationals during his four years competing in mock trial. Now, he says he can enjoy himself. "For me, the pressure is off, and I'm looking forward to having a great final tournament."
What led the team to its success? Program President Abhi Nemani credits the depth of interest at the College. "We're lucky to have a large program here at CMCover two dozen competitors and four teamsso, just like big schools such as UCLA or Harvard, we can have multiple teams that can work and practice together." In fact, CMC will be the smallest college represented at the national championship.
Beyond talent and hard work, Brendan Sasso '10 credits the success to teamwork. "Team dynamics are important in mock trial because a witness and an attorney need to have good rapport," he says. "Team members need to rely on each other to succeed."
As evidence of this hard work, the team collected honors throughout the season, including a number of Outstanding Witness and Outstanding Attorney awards.
By attending these competitions, students are learning valuable skills that will help them succeed beyond the realm of mock trial competition. Jacinth Sohi '11, program vice president, says, "Aside from learning about trial procedures and the fundamentals of the law, these tournaments truly help students with impromptu speaking and critical analysis. To do this on a national level amplifies the benefits."
But the most exciting aspect of the tournament for the team is truly about the quality of competition they will face.
"I'm looking forward to competing with some of the most talented mockers in the country from top schools," Gilbert says.
Emily T. Meinhardt '10