The Illinois State University mock trial team competed at two midwestern tournaments the second weekend of October. Squad 1070 took second place at the Carthage College Dairyland Challenge tournament. This tournament recognized senior Nick Kniebusch as an outstanding witness for his portrayal of a physician.
Squad 1070 is composed of Leah Carcasson, Nick Kniebusch, Jackie Mykytiuk, Emmalie Parson, Jake Podvrsan, Jamani Ree, and Kyleigh Weir. This squad went 6-2, losing only to Loyola University, the first-place team for the competition. It took both ballots in competitions with University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, St. Ambrose University, and Lewis University.
Squad 1069 participated at the Arch Invitational hosted by Washington University of St. Louis. It won three ballots and lost five. The squad faced Cornell College, two different University of Iowa teams, and the University of Tennessee. Team members are Grace Betts, Daniel Carmona, Denise Flores, Viv Garcia, Ava Knapp, Sara O’Dowd, Audrey Salamon, and Katie Schafer.
The mock trial team is led by head attorney coach A.J. Blodgett, a Bloomington attorney in private practice, and assistant coach Spencer Chikahisa, a McLean County Assistant State’s Attorney. Students interested in participating on the 2025-26 mock trial team must enroll in the spring 2025 section of POL 283: Trial Advocacy I. If you need an override to enter the class, please contact Professor Tom McClure, the mock trial educator coach, at temcclu@ilstu.edu.
