March 03, 2009
The
St. John’s University Mock Trial Team will advance to the Opening
Round Championship Series (ORCS) of the 2009 National
Intercollegiate Mock Trial Tournament, after earning one of eight
bids at the Atlantic Regional this past weekend.
27 teams competed at this weekend’s regional round at St.
John’s, one of 23 preliminary competitions held throughout the
country. Each regional tournament advances eight teams
to the ORCS, where teams will vie for 48 bids to the National
Championship.
St. John’s opened the event with a tightly contested loss to
NYU, the eventual champion of the three-day tournament. St.
John’s bounced back and went on to win the next two competitions
against Syracuse and Fordham –Rose Hill, setting up the crucial
final round against Fordham – Lincoln Center. With both teams
tied entering the round and only one bid to the ORCS still up for
grabs, St. John’s rose to the challenge, winning the final round
and securing a spot in the next round of competition.
In addition to NYU (1) and St. John’s (8), Columbia, University
of Pennsylvania, NYU (second team), Temple, Dickenson and Fordham –
Rose Hill, placed second through seventh,
respectfully.
Team captain, Kudakwashe Chibanda, was awarded one of 10
Outstanding Attorney Awards for her performance in the Atlantic
Regional. Also competing for St. John’s were Donald
Bracciodieta, Tahir Boykins, Alexis Patterson, Lisa Rodrigues,
Michael Schillinger, Tarunbir Singh, Jomaire Crawford, Jessica
Hackett and Hadia Ali Sheerazi.
All eight teams advancing from the Atlantic Regional will travel
to the ORCS in Hamilton, Ohio, hosted by Miami University (Ohio) on
March 20-22. The competition at that site includes University
of Illinois, Case Western, University of Chicago, University of
Notre Dame, The Ohio State University, Whittenberg College, Ohio
Northern University, Miami University, and University of
Cincinnati. The top six teams at this site will advance to
the final round, the National Championship Finals, on April 17-19
in Des Moines, IA.
For more information about the St. John’s Mock Trial team,
please contact Professor Bernard Helldorfer by calling (718)
990-7417. For media inquiries, please contact Elizabeth
Reilly, Assistant Director of Media Relations, by calling (718)
990-5789, or by e-mail to reillye@stjohns.edu.