At the American Mock Trial Association’s (AMTA) national championship tournament, Dickinson College’s Mock Trial team came away with a record of four and eight.  Though the team did not win the final round, senior team members Margaret Wiggins and Amy Fly said that the most important thing for them was having the chance to participate.

“For seniors, every year we’ve gone further in the tournament, and this year we made it all the way!” said Fly about the experience.  Wiggins agreed, noting how hard the team worked to accomplish this goal: “In this tournament, which celebrated its 30th anniversary, the top 48 teams in the US compete, but those came from a list of more than 300 teams.  I am so proud we got here.”

Held in Cincinnati, Ohio, participants held their trials in actual courtrooms located in the County Courthouse.  During the championship, “there were four rounds, against the University of Chicago, the Ohio State University, the University of Southern California and Howard University,” said Wiggins.  The challenge this year was the new change the AMTA made: the cases were only released three weeks before the championship.  As Wiggins mentioned, “It usually takes months to prepare, and we had to do everything in the span of three weeks.”

When the case was finally released, Fly discussed the team’s excitement:  “It first came out in an online live broadcast.  We all huddled around the computer to find out, and when it finally did we sat and read it together.”  From that point, the team began preparing.  “We talked right away about strategizing case theory, so we had to make a case with witnesses, assign work, write opening and closing statements and create cross-examinations,” said Wiggins.  She added, “We even had a debate about whether to put the defendant on the stand, and we finally decided to do so.”  At the tournament itself, “Every team we went against called the same witnesses we did,” said Fly.

Ultimately, the team feels excited about their accomplishments.  According to Wiggins, “This has been one of the highlights of my time at Dickinson.  It has given me an amazing chance to make friends and to travel to new cities.”  She added, “Personally, I think we’re all proud because we were up against some amazing teams, and we really held our own.”

Fly also mentioned how the senior members feel confident about the first-year members, calling their growth throughout this year a “tangible change.”  Wiggins agreed that the future of the team is in good hands: “As a senior, I am excited for the future of the program because we have amazing first-years.  We have watched them grow this year, and I am so proud and know they will continue to do well.”