Ohio University Mock Trial Team Announces 2019-20 Team Members

The Ohio University Mock Trial Invitational Team after a 2018 tournament.

The Ohio University Mock Trial Team selected 20 students to compete during the 2019-20 academic year.

Tryouts occurred on Sept. 11 and 12. In order to tryout, students were required to prepare and deliver a three-minute speech on a selected topic. At the conclusion of their prepared remarks, students were given a topic and required to deliver an extemporaneous speech. This year, students were also asked to become familiar with a witness statement so that students more interested in character development as witnesses would have an opportunity to display their skills. The Mock Trial Executive Board along with coach and attorney-adviser Larry Hayman worked to select students for the team.

“I am very excited for the season ahead! I look forward to learning this case and getting to know all the new members along the way,” said Mock Trial Vice President Kristin Tate, a senior Political Science and Sociology Criminology major with a certificate in Law, Justice & Culture, who is competing for her third year on the team.

The Ohio University Mock Trial Team is a selective, competitive student organization affiliated with the Center for Law, Justice & Culture. The team competes against other teams from 350 colleges in the American Mock Trial Association, including teams from Ohio State, Miami University, University of Dayton, Case Western Reserve University, and more.

Membership in Mock Trial is open to students from all majors and interests. Participation on the team helps students to develop public speaking skills, team building skills, critical thinking skills, and professionalism.

“I know we have a team full of very talented and intelligent people who are well organized. That makes preparing for our fast approaching invitational in October even more exciting,” said Mock Trial President Lydia Wendel, a senior studying Political Science Pre-Law, with a minor in Anthropology and a certificate in Law, Justice & Culture.

During a competition teams are asked to develop and present a case from witness statements and evidence. Team members act as both lawyers and witnesses to present direct examinations, cross examinations, opening statements, and closing statements.

Students selected for the 2019-2020 Mock Trial team include:

• Nick Arno, a first year student studying English Pre-Law
• Micaela Beatham-Garcia, a sophomore Political Science Pre-Law and Global Studies student with a minor in German
• Maria Benitez, a freshman studying Biological Sciences
• Nick Bohuslawsky, a freshman studying Political Science Pre-Law
• Diamond Brooks, a sophomore studying HTC Political Science
• Andrew Cornelison, a freshman Political Science Pre-Law student
• Abigail Downs, a freshman Political Science student
• Michael Ferris, a second year student studying Communication and World Religions
• David Giddens, a junior studying Political Science Pre-Law and Anthropology
• Hailey Gifford, a freshman studying Political Science Pre-Law and Spanish
• Ellen Gill, a second year student studying English Pre-Law and Sociology-Criminology with a certificate in Law, Justice & Culture
• Ali Gucwa, a second year student majoring in Environmental Geography Pre-Law and Urban Planning
• Sydney Kempton, a senior Political Science Pre-Law and History student
• Lillian Mattimoe, a senior Political Science Pre-Law and Sociology-Criminology major with a certificate in Law, Justice & Culture
• Kristin Tate, a senior double majoring in Political Science and Sociology-Criminology, with a certificate in Law, Justice & Culture
• Cyrus Theodor, a first-year studying Political Science Pre-Law and War & Peace Studies
• Lori Turner, a third-year student majoring in Political Science Pre-Law
• Jonas Lincoln Schaaf, a freshman studying Sociology
• Lydia Wendel, a senior majoring in Political Science Pre-Law with a minor in Anthropology and a certificate in Law, Justice & Culture
• Emily Zeiler, a freshman Political Science and Economics student

The team will spend the next four weeks preparing for it’s first competition, the Scarlet and Grey Invitational, which will take place on October 19 and 20 in the Franklin County Courthouse in Columbus, Ohio.