This year, the Mock Trial team has reached greater heights than ever before, as two of three teams qualified for Silver Nationals from recent regional tournaments, which will be held March 15 to 16 in Tucson, Ariz.
"This year has been a spectacular one for Brown Mock Trial," said senior captain Nathaniel Miller '08. "Much of the team is composed of novices and first-years, so to qualify two teams was a significant win."
Both of the teams qualified for one of five national tournaments, called Silver Nationals. From there, 60 teams will qualify for Gold Nationals, which will be held in Minneapolis, Minn., April 4 to 6.
Mock Trial is an intercollegiate competition run by the American Mock Trial Association, which chooses a case for all teams to argue, Miller said. This year the case was a criminal case in the sentencing phase.
In the case, a known drug user suspected of child abuse, pled guilty to assaulting a children's advocate who poorly announced his or her entrance into the defendant's house. Teams argue for varying sentencing arrangements, alternating between defense and prosecution in each round. Some members of the team act as lawyers - interrogating witnesses and giving opening and closing statements - while others portray those witnesses being questioned. The tournaments are commonly judged by law students, attorneys and professional judges, Miller said.
Miller's team earned its spot by placing fifth at the Boston University Regional Tournament which was held Feb. 8 to 10. The other team, led by senior captain Hiro Tanaka '08, qualified by ranking third at the Greater New England Regional Tournament at Roger Williams University later in February. Brown's third team, led by senior captain Tor Tarantola '08 placed tenth at RWU but did not qualify for nationals.
Many team members earned individual honors at these tournaments. At the Boston Tournament, Daniel Sprecher '09 won recognition as an All-Region attorney. Tor Tarantola won the same award at the Greater New England Tournament. Additionally, at RWU, Mollie Javerbaum '11, Matt Corritore '09 and Tarantola won honors as All-Region witnesses.
Tanaka said he hopes the teams get to Gold Nationals - to do so they need to place in the top three at Silver Nationals in Arizona.
In past years, only one team has qualified for nationals, but Tanaka said he hopes the team does better this year.
The team is coming off a strong season, routinely placing in the top ten at competitions held at Harvard, Yale, Brandeis and Wake Forest universities. Tanaka said they were hoping to score even higher at the regional tournaments to earn a first round bye at Silver Nationals. "It was tough - if we had won our last trial we would have got it," he said. But he added he believes the teams are competitive for Gold Nationals.
There are 22 students on the team, including 11 freshmen who joined after a competitive tryout process. They form three teams for competitions, each headed by a senior captain. Miller said he is proud that the teams are of about the same skill level. Of the teams that qualified, "both placed higher than Harvard's," he said, adding that he was fairly sure no other Ivy League team yielded three even teams.
The team is self-coached and largely self-funded, though Miller said it is seeking additional funding from the Undergraduate Finance Board as well as various departments and organizations. Traveling to and competing at Silver Nationals will cost about $17,000, he said. Though expensive, Miller says he hopes everyone will be able to travel to Arizona. "It would be nice - we've all worked hard," he said.
There are three senior captains: Miller, Tanaka and Tarantola. They, along with an executive board run the team. The executive board is comprised of Tanaka, Tarantola, Sprecher, Herald Opinions Columnist Michael Ramos-Lynch '09 and Herald Sales Manager Lily Tran '10.
