The Illinois State University Mock Trial Program hosted its 16th annual invitational tournament November 17-19 at the McLean County Law & Justice Center in downtown Bloomington. Nineteen colleges and universities from nine states participated in this 28-team tournament.
University of Tennessee – Chattanooga, the only undefeated team, won the tournament. Washington University of St. Louis took second place. Loyola University and the University of South Dakota were the third and fourth place teams.
Two Illinois State squads competed. Squad 1123 garnered a 5-2-1 record, placing 6th. Squad 1124 went 5-3. ISU faced teams from Xavier University, Northern Illinois University, Elmhurst College, DePaul University, University of Illinois—Urbana, University of Illinois—Chicago, and Washington University.
Myles Mclean, Kelly Franklin, and Michael Sheldon
Team captains Myles McLean and Kelly Franklin were both awarded Outstanding Attorney awards. This is the third consecutive tournament where they received individual awards. Michael Sheldon was named Outstanding Witness for his performance as an expert witness. This is his second award for the season.
The McLean County Bar Association sponsored the awards for the tournament and provided dozens of volunteer evaluators who judges the competition. Members of the ISU Attorneys Advisory Board also served as judges.
Students interested in completing on the mock trial team must take POL 283: Trial Advocacy. This course is being offered in the spring semester. If the class is closed, students should contact Professor McClure for an override at temcclu@ilstu.edu.
