By Kevin Rogers
Managing Editor
Students from 10 colleges rolled into St. Bonaventure for a battle of legal know-how as SBU Mock Trial hosted its second annual “Friar Faceoff” tournament last weekend.
In mock trial, students play the role of lawyers and witnesses as they develop the best defense or prosecution in a case provided by the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA). Faculty members or local attorneys served as judges to assess each team’s performance. Plassmann Hall played host to this year’s competition.
Club Vice President Alex Noguerola, a junior political science major who started the tournament last year, took on the duties of tournament director again this year. As director, Noguerola was responsible for organizing the venue, inviting teams and gathering judges for the tournament.
“You send a lot of emails to teams and attorneys in town and faculty members, and you’re either trying to get them to compete here or get them to judge here,” Noguerola said. “From an administrative standpoint, the tournament was effectively run. We were on time for every event we needed to be on time for, and we maintained a very professional administration of our tournament.”
Beyond the tournament logistics, Noguerola and club President Nick Hillman, a senior political science major, had to prepare teams for the competition itself. This tournament’s case involved a theft at an amusement park.
The club meets in a class setting twice a week to prepare students to play the roles of attorneys and witnesses for both sides of the case.
“You have to make sure you have people prepared to conduct each role,” Hillman said. “A lot of preparation with the trial itself and making sure people are ready is probably the biggest thing.”
Buffalo State’s “A” team brought home first place in the tournament, followed by Canisius’ “B” team and Binghamton’s “B” team in second and third, respectively. Other competitors included the University at Buffalo, SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Geneseo, Colgate, Seton Hall, Michigan State and SUNY Oneonta.
“A” and “B” team designations rank the skill level of schools with multiple teams, Noguerola said. Some schools paid extra tournament fees to bring two teams to compete.
In SBU’s case, both teams included first-time competitors, so the rankings didn’t matter, Hillman said.
Though SBU’s two teams did not rank among the top tier, Hillman, captain of SBU’s “B” team, said both squads put forth solid performances. As it was a home meet, students taking the Mock Trial class for credit had to participate.
“It was a great learning experience for everybody to be there,” Hillman said. “Our records don’t reflect the amount of progress we made. The team came a long way from the very beginning. I was proud to see how well everybody did.”
Noguerola agreed, noting this was the first trial for many participants.
“Considering half the makeup of both teams were new people, they really performed very well,” he said. “For people going into their very first trial this past weekend and coming out with a new experience and a lot more knowledge, it’s absolutely amazing to see how far they progressed in just a weekend.”
Some members earned individual awards for their performances in the tournament. “A” team captain Sebastian Bellm, a sophomore finance and accounting major, and Dan Kerns, a junior philosophy major, won outstanding attorney awards. James Cook, a freshman political science major, and Samantha Harrienger, a freshman elementary education major, won outstanding witness awards.
Harrienger, a first-time participant in mock trial, said she had a great experience, despite first-tournament anxiety.
“It was terrifying. I was really scared,” she said. “When it was done and over with, I thought it was fun, and I really enjoyed it.”
Harrienger suggested past acting and preparation may have helped clinch her award, but she said it wouldn’t have been possible without her teammates.
“I’ve acted my whole life, so I guess that kind of helped me. You really just need to know the stuff and get into the mindset of your (character)” she said. “A lot falls on the attorneys’ shoulders. How well I do depends on how much they guide me.”
