Orange Alert

SU Mock Trial Team advances to national championship after regional wins

Teams placed fourth and seventh in regionals

Feb. 17, 2010, by Judy Holmes

Two teams from Syracuse University’s award winning undergraduate Mock Trial Program placed fourth and seventh out of 24 teams that competed in the 2010 Finger Lakes Regional American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Tournament, Feb. 13 and 14, hosted on the SU campus. The SU teams won bids to the opening round of the national AMTA championship, which will be held in White Plains, March 13 and 14. This is only the second time in the 11-year history of SU’s Mock Trial Program that two teams will be competing at this level.  Two teams also competed in the 2009 national championships.

In addition to the team awards, four students earned outstanding attorney awards. They are: Kenneth Alter, sophomore; Matthew Cujak, senior; and Andrew Rice, junior, all enrolled in The College of Arts and Sciences; and Amanda St. Hilaire, a sophomore in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.  

Participating institutions included Binghamton, St. Bonaventure, Buffalo, Colgate, Cornell, New York, and Penn State universities; Buffalo State, Canisius, Hamilton, and Siena colleges; as well as SUNY Fredonia and Geneseo, and the University of Rochester.

The SU Mock Trial Program is sponsored by the iLearn Program in The College of Arts and Sciences. Team members are selected and coached during the fall semester by SU alumni trial attorneys and compete in the spring round of AMTA-sponsored tournaments. The 2009-10 coaches are Robert G. Smith ’88 J.D. of Melvin & Melvin, PLLC; Iman Abraham ’06 J.D. of Meggesto, Crossett & Valerino, LLP; Clifton Carden, Onondaga County assistant district attorney; and Brian Mueller ’09, the team's assistant coach.

The iLearn Program supports the Undergraduate Research Program and the Ruth Meyer Scholars program. 

Below is a complete list of students who will be competing in the AMTA nationals:

College of Arts and Sciences students Kenneth Alter, sophomore; Matthew Cujak, senior; Jeremy Edwards, freshman; Zachary Lax, junior; He Lin Lee, sophomore; Meghan McCormack, senior; Andrew Rice, junior; Kelyn Smith, freshman; Ashley White, sophomore; Tarek Zatet, senior; and Kelly (Nachong) Kim, a junior dually enrolled in The College of Arts and Sciences and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
 
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications students are Jamie Greenwood, junior; Amanda St. Hilaire, sophomore; and Danielle Waugh, junior. 

Also participating are Daniel Bateman, a junior in the College of Visual and Performing Arts; and Regina (Youg Yeon) Ryou, a senior in the Whitman School of Management.


Media Contact

Judy Holmes