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Impressive finish for C-SC Mock Trial team in tough tournament
Wednesday, November 10, 2010

CANTON, Mo. – The Culver-Stockton College Mock Trial team is celebrating another impressive finish after competing at the Illinois State University Invitational. In a field of 32 teams, Culver-Stockton finished 10th, with a final record of 4-3-1. Dallas Spurgeon also received individual recognition, winning the “Best Witness” award. The tournament held Nov. 6-7 at the McLean County Law and Justice Center in Bloomington, Ill., is considered one of the toughest in the Midwest.

“At this tournament our students finished in the top third of the pack. The majority of the schools finishing ahead of us were large colleges and universities. Mock Trial doesn’t have divisions like the NCAA, so we have to compete against huge schools such as the University of Illinois and Illinois State University,” explains Judy Abbott, C-SC senior lecturer of criminal justice and law and founder of the C-SC Mock Trial program. “It is always difficult for small colleges like Culver-Stockton, with limited resources, to field teams that can hold their own against Mock Trial power houses. This weekend Culver-Stockton did just that. The past few weeks, our students spent countless hours in the courtroom honing their skills and adjusting their line-up so that they could field the strongest team at the ISU tournament. I was hoping that we could come home with a better showing than last year, and we did by finishing 4-3-1. Once again, Dallas Spurgeon brought home a best witness award for C-SC. I couldn’t be happier with the team work our mockers demonstrated this weekend. We will now look forward to scrimmaging with Quincy University early next year before we head to St. Louis for the regionals in February 2011,” Abbott adds.

Abbott also added that finishing among the top ten is a huge boost for the C-SC Mock Trial program, which is only its second year of AMTA competition. Mock Trial is a simulated trial between two teams. The teams of 6-8 students represent either the prosecution in a criminal case (plaintiff, in a civil case) or the defense. The simulated trials are judged by real-life judges, attorneys and law students. The purpose of Mock Trial at the undergraduate level is to have students read and analyze a set of facts, prepare their case for the courtroom and develop basic litigation skills in the process.

For more information on C-SC’s Mock Trial program visit www.culver.edu/humanities/trial.

Photo: Members of the C-SC Mock Trial team during the final round of competition at the ISU tournament.