Before you get rightfully emotional about a little two year old boy’s death, remember, Midlands is make-believe and Joey Davis doesn’t really exist, at least in our world. But in collegiate mock trial, he was real for the twenty-four collegiate mock trial teams competing this past weekend at the Opening Round Championship Series hosted by Miami University at the Government Services Center in Hamilton, Ohio.
Twenty-four award winning teams from the Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo Regional Tournaments competed this past weekend for six slots in the National Championship Tournament April 15-17 in Des Moines, Iowa. February saw 24 regional competitions with 8 teams from each regional advancing to one of the eight Opening Round Championships Tournaments in March across the country. Forty-eight teams will then advance to the national championship tournament, forty-eight from an original total of over 550 from over 350 colleges and universities!
When all the arguments, testimony, and evidence were reviewed in Hamilton. Miami was one of the six teams to advance. Joining the top Miami squad are Ohio State, Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky, and Bellarmine. Four Redhawks earned individual honors: Alycia Walker and Dan Nickels were named outstanding attorneys and Claire Meikle and Pavel Gurevich earned outstanding witness awards.
Walker is a third-year political science major from Reading and Nickels is a fourth year finance major from Nashville TN. Meikle is a first year zoology major from Oxford and Gurevich is a third year finance major from Solon.
Members of the team advancing to Des Moines are, left to right: Ian Ferrell, Daniela Pierre-Bravo, Alex Block, Katie Law, Michelle Markham, Pavel Gurevich, Alycia Walker, and Mike Woeste.
The James Lewis Family Miami Mock Trial Program is directed by business legal studies Professor Daniel Herron. The coaching staff also includes business legal studies professors Wayne Staton and Dan Haughey; attorney Neal Schuett; Chase law student Lawrence Hilton; Stanton Residence Hall Advisor Barry Tolchin; graduate assistant Melissa Schuett; and Miami alumnus Gus Lazares.
Members of Miami's second team competing in Hamilton are, left to right below: Liz Sams, Deborah O'Neal, Dan Nickels, Joe Luizzi, Mike Rhodes, Andi Jackson, Katie Wallrabenstein, Claire Meikle, Brandon Patterson, and Krista Pikus.
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