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January 31, 2013

ULM student wins “Best Witness” in mock trial team competition

University of Louisiana at Monroe’s Brooke Mohon, a senior political science major from New Orleans, won “Best Witness” after her sterling performance as Reggie Rodgers, a dive master on a scuba diving expedition that led to the death of the fictional Lee Allen. 

Mohon, who is part of ULM’s Mock Trial Team, portrayed the character in her team’s first mock trial tournament in Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 26-27.

“I was honored to have the experience in my senior year,” said Mohon.  “Learning the rules of evidence and developing analytical skills will prepare me for any endeavor in the future. As a political science senior, this is the highlight of my career at ULM.”

ULM—one of the newest schools to field a team—faced Notre Dame’s A team in round one, Michigan State in round two, and Notre Dame’s B team in round three.

Going into round four, ULM’s mock trial team showed steady improvement in each round, before defeating the University of Denver in the final round.

Ryan Lloyd, a sophomore English major from Winnsboro, was the lead attorney for the team. He said, “I was amazed at how court procedures work and the skills that are required.” 

Lizette Narvaez, a junior political science major from Mission, Texas, experienced her first trip north and found the experience of competing against the best mock trial talent in the country the “perfect challenge” for the team’s upcoming regional tournament.

Miami of Ohio won the overall competition and teams from the University of Chicago, Bowling Green, Michigan State, Indiana, and Wisconsin were among the 32 competitors.

The team is looking forward to their performance at the AMTA Regionals in Jackson, Miss. Feb. 22-24.

ULM’s mock trial team was established in Nov. 2012, and is advised by ULM adjunct professor and local attorney Robert Noel.

ULM is only the fifth university in Louisiana with an AMTA-sanctioned Mock Trial team, joining Tulane University, Dillard University, Xavier University, and the University of New Orleans.

Team members who participated in the recent competition:

• Gary Blaylock, a junior political science major from Monroe;
• Dylan Crowell, a junior history major from Metairie;
• Ryan Lloyd, a sophomore English major from Winnsboro;
• Brooke Mohon, a senior political science major from New Orleans;
• Myisha Myers, a senior criminal justice major from Monroe;
• Lizette Narvaez, a junior political science major from Mission, Texas;
• Gabriel Silva, a sophomore finance and political science double major from Barretos, Brazil;
• Sharmaine Tramble, a sophomore political science major from Monroe.

About the American Mock Trial Association:

The American Mock Trial Association was founded in 1985 by Drake Law School and serves as the governing body for intercollegiate mock trial competition. 

AMTA hosts 24 regional tournaments, eight championship tournaments, and a national championship tournament each year featuring 600 teams from over 350 universities and colleges across the nation. 

The season officially begins on August 15 when AMTA releases the season’s case problem containing witness statements, relevant laws, and evidence created by the AMTA Case Committee. 

Teams compete at invitational tournaments from October until January in order to qualify for regional tournaments in February.

  The top seven teams from each Regional receive bids to the Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS) tournament in March. 

After the ORCS round, the top six teams from each ORCS tournament will receive a bid to the National Championship Tournament in April.

In 2012, Duke University won the national championship.

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