Courtesy of Connecticut College Office of Communications
On Feb. 24 and 25., 24 mock trial teams gathered at Connecticut College to participate in the Regional Competition, the first round of elimination for teams competing in the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA). These competition teams included students from the University of Pennsylvania, Boston University, and Princeton, and the top six teams would move on to the next round of competition: the Opening Round Championship (ORCs) in New Rochelle, NY. This was Connecticut College’s third consecutive year hosting this competition, but for the first time the Camels were fielding not one, but two, competition teams, each comprised of nine students. These two teams also follow on the heels of a program record-breaking invitational season in the fall, with the Bactrian team (named after the species of camel, the club’s A-team) placing second out of 22 at SUNY Albany’s Capital Clash tournament, and earning an individual award at Quinnipiac’s competitive Bobcat Invitational.
When other teams host Regionals, they typically send the A-team to a different competition, so that the members of the executive board only have to focus on hosting for that weekend and can concentrate on competing at a different Regionals. The Camels, however, competed at home, with six members of the E-board on the Bactrian team split between host responsibilities and competing. Secretary Catie Clarke ‘26, who was in charge of judge recruitment, called it “one of the most stressful things [she] has ever done.” Despite this, the Bactrian team won five out of eight ballots over the course of four trials, tying with the United States Naval Academy for sixth place, and securing a place on the Open Bid list for the Open Round Championship. For the first time in the program’s history, Connecticut College Mock Trial qualified to compete at the New Rochelle ORCs, joining the most competitive pool in the country, including the likes of Harvard, Brown, University of Pennsylvania, MIT, and NYU. The team was shocked, and Clarke jokes that their “version of ‘when pigs fly’ was ‘when we make it to ORCs.’” At ORCs, the Camels went on a rampage, winning five out of twelve ballots and tying one, greatly exceeding team expectations. The top six teams at ORCs move on to nationals, and only 48 teams in the country qualify each year. Unfortunately, the Camels did not earn a bid to nationals, but they did win the prestigious Spirit of AMTA award (indicating good sportsmanship and friendship with competing teams) with a perfect 30 points, with Clarke calling it “absolutely unreal.”
The executive board, comprised of President Samantha Lavenhagen ‘25, Vice President Anna Taylor ‘26, Secretary Clarke, Treasurer Emma Puntin ‘26, Fundraising and PR Officer Andrew Kupovich ’26, and Captains Emily Blair ‘26 and Lily Rosan ‘25, are looking forward to next season. Blair, with seven years of mock trial experience, is one of the most experienced members of the relatively inexperienced team. Despite this, she says that “beyond a shadow of a doubt, this team has some of the most naturally skilled and determined people I have ever met. It’s because of these people that we’ve been able to drastically propel ourselves forward each year we compete, and I cannot wait to see what we have in store for the future.” The Camels will be hosting their fourth regional competition next February, and hope to compete in additional invitationals in the fall.
