Northwood University Mock Trial has qualified for the American Mock Trial Association’s National Championship Tournament, earning a place among the nation’s top collegiate programs following a standout performance at the Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS), which concluded March 21 in Geneva, Illinois.
Only six teams at the Geneva, Illinois, ORCS qualified to advance to the National Championship Tournament, which will be held April 17-19. They include the University of Michigan, University of Notre Dame, Indiana University, and two teams from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Northwood secured its place at nationals by winning trials against the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Kansas, and splitting ballots against the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Colorado State University.
The result builds on an already exceptional postseason run for Northwood. Earlier this season, at the American Mock Trial Association regional tournament hosted by the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, Northwood finished with eight wins and tied for the top record in the field to advance to ORCS.
More than 800 collegiate teams compete nationwide during the mock trial season, with only 192 teams advancing to ORCS and an even smaller group moving on to the National Championship Tournament.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for our students and a reflection of the discipline, preparation, and professionalism they have shown throughout the season,” said Coach Dr. DeLois Leapheart. “Mock Trial provides our students with a powerful experiential learning opportunity. Students continuously improve their critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and ethical leadership skills, which will serve them well in whatever career path they choose to pursue. We are blessed to have such diligent students dedicated to sharpening their advocacy skills.”
The students who helped Northwood earn its bid to the National Championship Tournament were Maze Gusa of Ubly, Gabriel Laske of Hope, Julian Lee of Macomb, Barrett Tefft of Davison, Laina Tomei of Shelby Township, Conrad Waldie of Vassar, Aaron Harvey of Saginaw, Johnathan Schwegler of Grand Blanc, Denilson Hernandez of Pontiac, Isabella DeLong of Saginaw, Winston Wilcox of Camden, and Amanda Zeller of Eaton Rapids.
Several Northwood students also earned individual honors at ORCS. Tomei and Waldie received Outstanding Witness Awards on the defense, while Tefft earned an Outstanding Attorney Award on the prosecution.
Leapheart also credited Northwood’s assistant coaches and alumni supporters for helping the team reach the national stage.
“This result would not have been possible without the leadership and mentorship of our alumni assistant coaches Jacob Walters, Stephen Dunn, and Riley Hayer,” Leapheart said. “Our students also benefitted from the support of alumni who served as scrimmage judges throughout the season.”
Northwood’s path to nationals began at regionals, where its advancing team earned its ORCS invitation by winning both scoring judges’ ballots in trials against Michigan State University, Purdue University, and two separate teams from Northern Illinois University. Northwood’s second team also turned in a strong performance, defeating Illinois State University, splitting ballots against DePaul University, and competing closely throughout the weekend.
At the regional tournament, Northwood students also collected individual honors. Waldie received an Outstanding Witness Award on the prosecution side, while Tefft earned Outstanding Attorney Awards on both the prosecution and defense sides of the case.
In addition to Waldie and Tefft, the following students competed for Northwood at the regional tournament: Excellent Abikphi of Midland, Evan Baker of Grandville, Dereon Campbell of Bay City, Isabella DeLong of Saginaw, Maze Gusa of Ubly, Aaron Harvey of Saginaw, Denilson Hernandez of Pontiac, Skylar Hundley of Zeeland, Gabriel Laske of Hope, Julian Lee of Macomb, Parker Maples of Howell, Johnathan Schwegler of Grand Blanc, Laina Tomei of Shelby Township, Evelyn Wells of Troy, and Winston Wilcox of Camden.
For more information about Northwood University Mock Trial, visit northwood.edu/student-life/organizations/mock-trial.
