Western’s Mock Trial Team Maintains Momentum at Regional Tournament

Once again, Western Colorado University’s Mock Trial team walked into the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Regional Tournament as a small program facing stiff competition from larger, more established universities.

And once again, they walked out having made a statement, proving that Western’s size says nothing about its ability to win.

Competing in Colorado Springs, February 20-21, eight Western students, led by faculty advisers Bill Niemi and Mike King, won two of four trials, defeating the University of New Mexico and Austin College. They also improved on a strong performance at last year’s competition, bringing home both a Top Attorney and a Top Witness award.

Mock Trial challenges students to step into the roles of attorneys and witnesses in a near-to-life courtroom case, arguing before judges under strict time constraints. Each side is given 15 minutes for opening and closing arguments and 25 minutes for direct and cross-examination of witnesses. Trials must be completed within three hours. The competition rewards preparation, presentation, quick thinking, and the ability to craft and defend a persuasive argument.

Senior English Literature major Jess Hickey, in her first Mock Trial experience, was recognized as a Top Attorney, and Junior Finnegan Bunnell, who is hoping to pursue a career in water law, was named a Top Witness, accounting for two of just ten such awards presented from a field of roughly 300 student competitors representing 24 colleges and universities.

“I used to joke that the main thing I took away from the mock trial experience was learning that I never wanted to be a trial attorney,” Hickey said. “While I still don’t want to be an actual criminal prosecutor or defender, this experience showed me all of the different options the legal field has to offer. I also gained a level of confidence and a certain comfort when public speaking that I certainly didn’t have before.”

Hickey, who has now been accepted to several law schools, joined the team at the end of last year after an advisor encouraged her to add mock trial to her résumé as she considered law school. She wasn’t even sure she would compete. But once she joined, the camaraderie changed her mind.

“Once I joined the team and became immersed with the people, I knew I had to compete with them if I could,” she said. “Being recognized as a top attorney was so humbling. I was overjoyed and just incredibly grateful.”

She was also quick to credit her teammates.

“A lot of who the ‘top’ attorney is comes down to judge preferences,” Hickey said. “It could have just as easily been the other attorneys on the defense team. Honestly, without their guidance, support, and experience this year, I would not have been able to perform as I did.”

All of Western’s attorneys were mentioned multiple times as top performers in their respective trials, and nearly all of the team’s witnesses received similar recognition from judges.

Although Bunnell first learned of Mock Trial last year, he initially found it intimidating. This year, however, he decided to push outside his comfort zone and get involved.

“I joined this year because I appreciated the few people I was familiar with on the team, I really appreciated the professors facilitating the programs, and I wanted to get involved and push myself outside of what I would normally be comfortable doing,” he said.

At the awards ceremony, as the judges read the names of those with the lowest scores to the highest, Bunnell assumed he had missed his chance.

“I admittedly resigned hope for an award as I did not hear my name called earlier in the award ceremony,” he said. “However, to my surprise, they called my name last, meaning that I had scored the most points in my role. More importantly, hearing Western’s name called out above the Air Force Academy, University of Denver, CU Boulder, and other regional schools as far as Utah or Texas was certainly the best part.”

The team – consisting of Finnegan Bunnell, Phoebe Burt, Natalia Chavez Aguilar, Finn Goodloe, Jess Hickey, Trevor Johnson, Elijah Jordan, Arizona Lee, and Morgan Muehlberg – was also mentored by assistant coaches and former Mock Trial team members Kai Vong and Amelia Chartier.

For many of the students, Mock Trial serves as preparation for law school. But the experience can be applied to any career. Students develop confidence in public speaking, learn to think critically under pressure, and get experience developing and making a case.

I’ve been in sports and on teams my whole life,” Hickey said. “But I can confidently say this mock trial group is the only team I’ve been on where everyone is equally committed to the same goal, willing to work with everyone, and usually having a good time, learning, and laughing. I made a lot of good friends through this experience. I am so grateful for the opportunity and hope the program continues to grow into the future.”