GREENVILLE, S.C.—The Furman University Mock Trial Paladins won first place at the Ney National Tournament held March 25-27 on the Furman campus and qualified for a spot in the American Mock Trial Association National Championship Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, April 15-17.
This marks the Paladins’ 15th consecutive berth in the finals.
To earn a spot at the finals, Furman fielded two teams last month at one of eight opening round championship sites. Simulating civil trials by portraying attorney or witness roles, six teams from each of the opening round sites make it to finals, so the Paladins will be among the 48 remaining teams in the field vying for a win in Des Moines.
The first place team at the Ney National was led by Emily Westberry ‘11, from Watkinsville, Ga. and Morgan Bridgman ‘12 of Atlanta. Others on the team include Caley DeGroote ‘14, Landrum; Sarah Jennings ‘12, Littleton, Co.; Emily Jeske ‘14, Clemmons, N.C.; Katherine Martin ‘14, Snellville, Ga.; Andrew Mueller ‘14, Tinley Park, Ill.; Justin Rourk ‘14, Sharpsburg, Ga.; Gillian Small ‘14, Augusta, Ga.; and Kathleen Wade ‘12, Tallahassee, Fla.
Westberry and Bridgman led their team to a 7-1 record (8-0 being perfect) with two-ballot wins over teams from Florida State, North Carolina and Georgia. Furman secured a ballot win from Georgia’s second team while losing the other ballot.
Bridgman and Westberry earned outstanding attorney awards, and Jennings was named an outstanding witness, winning one of only two perfect-scoring witnesses at the Ney.
Furman’s second team was led by Maddison Hall ‘14, Fort Mill, and Alyssa Richardson ‘12 of Columbia. Other members include Daniel Causey ‘14, Darlington; Russell Childree ’13, Smyrna, Ga.; Ricky Davis ‘14, Kennesaw, Ga.; Kiersty DeGroot ‘14, Landrum; Catie Donnelly ‘13, Charleston; Anna McDanal ‘12, Hatchechubee, Ala.; Amanda Michalski ‘13, Kingsport, Tenn.; and Laura Ragmanauskaite ‘14, North Charleston.
Coaching the teams are Furman graduates Steven Buckingham ‘03, Lindsay Builder ‘07, Mark Fessler ‘05, Mitchell Goldsmith ‘06, and D. Brad Rustin ‘03. Furman English professor, Margaret Oakes, Titus Nichols and Brent Tucker also serve as coaches.
For more information about the Ney National or the AMTA National Championship Tournament, contact Glen Halva-Neubauer, director of Furman’s mock trial program, at (864) 294-3608, or glen.halva-neubauer@furman.edu.