The Road to Cincinnati

The mock trial team commemorates the moment. Photo by Andrew Chesley '13.

The mock trial team commemorates the moment. Photo by Andrew Chesley '13.

Mock trial team advances to national championship

by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

The final days of spring break were nail-biting for members of Dickinson’s mock trial team, as they went head-to-head with top undergraduate competitors during the opening round of the 2015 American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) championship in Louisville, Ky. With an impressive six wins, Dickinson placed second and was named one of the 48 best undergraduate teams in the nation, out of a pool of more than 600.

That feat distinguishes the Dickinson team as the second in the college’s recent memory to advance to AMTA’s national championship, held this year in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dickinson also was awarded the Spirit of AMTA Award, granted to the team that “best exemplifies the ideals of honesty, civility and fair play,” and mock trial veterans Kirsten Dedrickson ’15 (philosophy and computer science) and Eric Neumeister ’15 (international studies) each were awarded “Best Attorney” honors.

“Eric was ranked as the best attorney in his rounds by every judge who saw him, which is a really remarkable accomplishment, especially at this tournament,” said Doug Edlin, associate professor of political science and the team’s faculty advisor.

The students celebrated these accomplishments with a familiar face—Young Alumni Trustee Andrew Chesley ’13, a former mock trial team member who traveled to the Louisville competition to cheer the team on as they laid the path to next month's finals.

"Mock trial was an incredibly important part of my Dickinson experience," said Chesley, who was a part of the mock trial team that competed in the AMTA finals in 2010. "I'm sure that this is a feeling that this year's seniors will never forget."

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Published March 16, 2015