UR Mock Trial Fall 2017 Newsletter Letter from our President A message from our president with a quick recap of the fall season, and what is to come this spring. Page 2 Fall Season Recap A summary of our teams performances in the Fall Invitational tournaments Page 3-7 Fundraising note We would like to invite you to become a friend of mock trial and help our organization continue to grow and succeed Page 8
URMT Fact Sheet According to the American Mock Trial Association, out of almost 300 teams, the University of Rochester s Mock Trial teams are currently ranked 51st and 85th in the nation. In the top 100 teams, URMT is ranked in the top 10 for studentrun/student-coached programs in the country. URMT is the proud recipient of 28 All-Region's Awards, 8 All- Nation s Awards, and 3 All-American Awards. URMT has received at least one bid to the Opening Round Championships every year for the past 10 years. The organization has taken more than 150 ballots at AMTA sanctioned competitions, including regionals, ORCS, and nationals.
Dear Alumni, Parents, and Advisors, I hope you had a happy holiday season! Before we head into our next semester of competition, we wanted to take a moment to update you on the success of this past Fall season and to thank all of the people that it possible. In November, we hosted our Eighth Annual Yellowjacket Invitational tournament. With twenty teams from fourteen universities across the country in attendance, this was the one of the most successful tournaments our organization has ever hosted. This feat would not have been possible without the help of the alumni, parents, and members of the local legal community who served as judges for the competition. To those 40 individuals: Thank you. The time you took out of your lives to score and provide feedback to our competitors was invaluable to their experience. After six months of planning the event, we were profoundly grateful to all of the people who come out in full force to support our beloved organization. In addition to hosting our own tournament, we also competed at three invitational tournaments across the region. I m proud to report that in just one semester we came away with not just Outstanding Attorney and Outstanding Witness awards, but also a top ten finish at the prestigious Yale Invitational tournament, where we faced some of the most competitive teams in the nation. During this upcoming Spring semester, our teams will be finishing off the invitational portion of the season before competing at Regional competitions in State College, PA and Buffalo, NY. A win at these Regional competitions will be the start of qualifying for the National Championship Tournament in Minneapolis, MN. I m proud to say that our three teams, composed of new and returning members, have demonstrated the talent, passion, and skill-level needed to lead us into another successful Spring season. Your continued support has without a doubt been crucial to our continued growth and success. I invite you to take a look through this newsletter where you will find summaries of our accomplishments this past Fall as well as photos of everyone in action. Sincerely, Deisy Abarca-Espíritu 19 UR Mock Trial, President 2
Yellowjacket Invitational On November 4th and 5th of 2017, teams from all over the country made their way to our very own River Campus to participate in the 8th Annual Yellowjacket Tournament. Our organization was proud to continue the tradition of planning a competitive invitational of our own as a means to fundraise, network with the local legal community and build relationships with other teams. The Yellowjacket Invitational tournament would not have been possible without our Tournament Director, Rochelle Sun (pictured). Over the course of six months, Rochelle worked on planning the logistics to ensure a successful tournament and worked alongside other members of the executive board to secure teams, judges and volunteers. We are very thankful for every judge and volunteer, who were all crucial in making the tournament a success. Thanks to her planning and the hard work of the executive board, this year s Yellowjacket Invitational was one of the most successful tournaments held at the University of Rochester! Aside from the success of the tournament itself, the teams competing within the invitational found success as well. This year, our tournament was able to advertise a competitive roster which included teams from Pennsylvania State University, Ithaca College, and the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. At the end of the tournament, we were very proud of the effort put in to make the tournament as great as it was. After four rounds of close competition, we were happy to award outstanding trial team trophies to: Pennsylvania State University, The College of St. Rose, Colgate University, Brandeis University and Binghamton University. 3
Spartan Throwdown As the summer of 2017 came to a close, and we began our journey back to Rochester to ring in the new school year, the new Mock Trial season and the excitement that comes with it was growing. Returning and new members alike were eager to try the new case that had been put in front of them. But first, tryouts were conducted, in-depth workshops given, and teams conceived. We were calm, composed, and officially ready to try State V. Hendricks. The University s Chicken Noodle Soup team, led by captain Zander Feidelberg ( 19) and co-captain Tinashe Marera ( 20), set out to Cleveland, Ohio on October 27th to compete in the Spartan Throwdown hosted by Case Western Reserve University. In round 1, the team represented the State against the University of Dayton. First timers Britney Waldrop ( 21) and Meghan Yarussi ( 20) displayed their great aptitude as witnesses, assuming the identities of Kerry Bell-Leon and Charley Waters respectively. Kyle Hall ( 18) flourished in his role of Detective Nichols, maintaining the persona of a hardened detective throughout the entirety of the trial. Returner Rochelle Sun ( 18) took on the role as an attorney, and delivered a spectacular closing argument embodying the prosecution s position and artfully including the incredible points laid out by first year opener Alec Tapia ( 21). Although Rochester s prosecution was tenacious, in the end after a hardfought round, the team unfortunately lost both ballots. In the second round, the team faced Indiana University. Samantha Myers ( 19) delivering a powerful opening statement for the defense and witness Grace Gorant ( 21) artfully took on the role of the defendant, Dylan Hendricks. Returner Zander Feidelberg exhibited his witnessing prowess, taking on the roles of both Jamie Morrison and Detective F.W. Longfellow. Matthew Trevisani ( 21) delivered the team s closing argument. The team s ability was recognized at the end of the trial, winning both ballots against Indiana University. The second day saw the debut of returner Noah Helterbrand ( 20) as an attorney. After an exhilarating trial against University of Cincinnati the team tied the round. The final round saw the team competing against Hillsdale College and after an incredibly close trial the team s defense lost both ballots to Hillsdale. The team ended with a record of 3-6. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 4
Spartan Throwdown Continued Meanwhile, our other two teams Clam Chowder and Egg Drop were competing as well. The teams were led by Deisy Abarca-Espíritu and Elizabeth Geiser along with Matthew Hoffner and Zachary Marshall-Carter. The first day of the tournament saw incredible performances by Team Clam Chowder and the debut of first time attorney Dalton Hanaway ( 21) against Case Western and Loras College. First-time witness Estelle Li ( 19) also showed off her skills as the defendant, Dylan Hendricks. Meanwhile, Team Egg Drop was thriving in their own trials as well. They had tremendous performances from new members and returners alike against Case Western Reserve and Eastern Michigan University. The second day of competition saw formidable performances on the part of both teams; when the tournament came to a close Team Clam Chowder and Team Egg Drop walked away with a record of 3-5-0. We are immensely proud of returning attorney Deisy Abarca-Espíritu who walked away with an Outstanding Attorney Award and Meghan Yarussi who received an Outstanding Witness Award as a first time Mock Trial member. Prosecution attorneys from team Clam Chowder at Case Western. From left to right: Dalton Hanaway, Cindy Molina ( 18) and Nathan Fleischman ( 21) 5
Quaker Classic Coming off the reorganization of teams after the Case Western tournament and five short practices, on November 17 th the University of Rochester Mock Trial A and C teams headed to the Quaker Classic at the University of Pennsylvania. The A team started the weekend off strong in a round again Boston College. The defense bench, led by President Deisy Abarca-Espíritu, hit hard in the first round and left the round with two ballots won against the Boston College team - taking both ballots by double digits! Next, the team hit Ohio State University B in the second round. The prosecution bench consisting of seniors Zachary Marshall-Carter and Cindy Molina along with sophomore Tinashe Marera had one of the trials of a lifetime. Meanwhile the C team was up against Tufts and Drexel. With powerhouse objections and engaging testimony from all three witnesses, this round was definitely one for the record books. Entering day two, the C team was up against University of Maryland D and Temple, while the A team was facing Hamilton College and the University of Pennsylvania. All rounds were nail biters. The A team s Samantha Myers ( 19) left the other side crippled with her objections and the C team s Nathan Fleischman delivered an impressive closing argument. Ultimately, the A team ran away from the round with a record of 5-3 and the C team with a record of 1-7. The C team poses at The Quaker Classic 6
Yale Invitational Immediately after returning from Thanksgiving break, our A and B teams were off to compete at the Yale Invitational, one of the most difficult tournaments in the nation. The competition consisted of 24 teams who had all competed at the 2017 National Championship tournament, but our members were well prepared and up to the challenge! The Rochester B team had a noteworthy performance at the Yale Invitational this year. Led by captain Ari Geller ( 18), the team held its own against some of the best Mock Trial programs in the nation including the University of Chicago, Rutgers, the University of Michigan, and Harvard. At the beginning of the tournament the team was slightly nervous but by the second day the nerves were gone and everyone was performing at a season s best level. The first trial of the second day saw the prosecution facing the University of Michigan, the ninth best team in the country. After a hard-fought battle, the B team was able to win a ballot to split the round. In the second trial of the day the defense faced Harvard, the seventh best team in the country. The round showcased great performances by all members of the team. While the B team lost both ballots, it was an incredibly close round and a great testament to the hard work put in by the members of the team. The A team s defense side started the weekend facing off against NYU, the 11th ranked team in the country. Despite the stiff competition, the team won both ballots against NYU and moved confidently into a trial against Boston College, where the prosecution again won both ballots. The competition only heightened moving into the second day of the tournament, as the team went up against UVA, the reigning national champions, and Yale, the 19th ranked team. While both ballots were lost to UVA s tough defense, the team won one of two ballots against Yale, ending the invitational with a respectable 5-3 record. The tournament was a great experience for both teams, as it was an opportunity for us to face some of the best teams in the country. Our A team received an Honorable Mention for winning 9th place, an impressive feat at such a challenging tournament. The teams drove home proud of their accomplishments and ready to perform even better at the tournaments to come. 7
Fundraising Note HELP MOCK TRIAL BE EVER BETTER The past year has been the University of Rochester Mock Trial Team s most successful one yet. Last spring, for the first time in our organization s history, we sent two teams to the National Championship Tournament. Since then, our experienced upperclassmen and talented new members have been working tirelessly to hone their skills and prepare for the upcoming competitive season. While our teams are ready to repeat the successes of last year, our current levels of funding would not be able to cover all the expenses involved. This limits our ability to compete at higher-level tournaments. By donating to Mock Trial, you can be a part of our continued success and help us remain a nationally ranked team that provides experience to all of its members. To give by mail: make checks out to University of Rochester and designate Mock Trial Gift in the subject line. The address is: Office of Gift and Donor Records 300 East River Road, P.O. Box 270032 Rochester, NY, 14627 To give electronically: go to tinyurl.com/rochestermt. Under designation, select Other and write in Mock Trial. We appreciate your support no matter how big or small. Different donation amounts come with different perks associated with the annual Yellowjackets Invitational hosted by UR Mock Trial. Keynote Sponsor Highest Donor Our Invitational is named for you Keynote address at the invitational Platinum Sponsor 2 nd Highest Donor Attorney awards named for you Final round named for you Gold Sponsor $500+ A room at the invitational named for you All silver benefits Silver Sponsor $100 - $499 An advertisement page in our tournament at packet All bronze benefits Bronze Sponsor $1 - $100 A mention in our newsletter and on UR Mock Trial Website THANK YOU TO LAST YEAR S SPONSORS! Your contributions helped UR Mock Trial reach the greatest success in our team s history, and are immensely appreciated by our organization 8
ORCS Recap, Cont. Photo Gallery 9