Cornell Mock Trial team making second trip to national championship

A Cornell College Mock Trial Team went 6 and 2 in the opening round of the National Tournament, and will compete April 16-18 in the championship round.

The team, consisting of Annika Strombom ‘10, Eli Wade-Scott ‘11, Madeline Roche ‘10, Francis Dixson ‘10, Kasun Wijegunawardana ‘10, Nedah Zamani ‘10, and Kyle Blesener ‘10,   faced teams from Illinois State University, Northwestern University, University of Minnesota at Morris, and Loyola University (Chicago) this weekend in St. Paul, Minn.

This is the second time in two years that Cornell College has earned a bid to this tournament and the members of the team will be one of only 48 teams throughout the country that will compete for the National Championship. At the tournament, Strombom was also recognized as an outstanding attorney for her work as a defense attorney, earning 19 out of a possible 20 rank points.

The team won the bid at the Regional Competition at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. Seniors Strombom and Roche were both recognized as outstanding attorneys for their work as defense and prosecution attorneys, respectively.  Dixson was also recognized with an outstanding witness award.

This is the second time in the four years that Mock Trial has existed at Cornell College that a team has won the right to compete in the opening round of the National Tournament.