Both Illinois State University mock trial squads garnered winning records at the first George Floyd Memorial Tournament, hosted by Hamline University on November 12-13. The Redbirds picked up five awards for individual performances at this virtual event.
Nadalie Ponce was a double-award recipient. She was named an outstanding attorney and outstanding witness. Parker Francisco was named an outstanding attorney. The tournament recognized Kyla Egizio and Connor Martin as outstanding witnesses. Martin earned a perfect score of 20 points for his portrayal.
Squad 1033 took both ballots from the University of St. Thomas and Macalester College. Illinois State split with the University of Central Missouri and lost its round against the University of California-Berkeley. Squad 1034 lost its round with Harvard University, won rounds against Drake University and Carthage College, and split ballots with Villanova University.
The mock trial team has participated in three virtual tournaments during fall 2020 in lieu of face-to-face contests. In mid-October, the team competed at the Loras College Mock Trial Invitational, one of the first Zoom mock trial tournaments held in the nation. Two weeks later, Illinois State participated in Eastern Kentucky University’s tournament.
Students interested in competing on the mock trial team must enroll in POL 283: Trial Advocacy, a spring course. For further information about the mock trial program, contact Associate Professor Tom McClure.
