One of Hillsdale College’s two mock trial teams placed first at last weekend’s Great Lakes Invitational Mock Trial Tournament, the first Hillsdale team to do so since the team began two years ago. The winning Hillsdale team finished with a 7-1 ballot record.
The winning team, self-named “#Winning,” competed in four head-to-head rounds against Ohio State University, Eastern Michigan University, Bowling Green State University, and Allegheny College.
Sophomore Isabel Kane received an individual award with 17 ranks as an attorney, as did sophomore Philip Hammersley with a perfect 20 ranks as an attorney.
“I was surprised and proud of how well our team did,” Hammersley said. “Coming into the year we had a lot of new people, and it is good to know that, despite being a younger team, we can compete at a higher level.”
Both teams have a large number of participants who are new to mock trial, are freshman, or both. Junior Bailey Arlinghaus had no mock trial experience but now participates as a way to combine her passion for theater with her aspiration to become an attorney.
“I felt like I was jumping into a really deep pool with people who were already well-versed,” she said. “All in all, I’m glad I joined the team, despite the lack of experience.”
The team will compete in Cleveland, Ohio, for the Spartan Throwdown Invitational Nov. 17-18. They also compete in Amherst, N.Y., for the Running of the Bulls Invitational in January and in South Bend, Ind., for the American Mock Trial Association National Championships in February.
“I’m really hoping both teams continue to improve and get more confident with the facts of the case,” Kane said.