Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Undergraduate Mock Trial Program recently finished in third place in the American Mock Trial Association’s national championship tournament, held in Des Moines, Iowa. The victory places the UGA program in the top 99.5 percentile of mock trial teams nationwide, with participation by 633 teams representing 300 institutions.
Teams from the University of California, Los Angeles and New York University placed first and second, respectively.
UGA Mock Trial president Brian Mink, a senior from Macon majoring in political science, said mock trial is a competitive and intellectually challenging activity that helps to build public speaking and critical thinking skills.
“The teams at the national championship tournament were the top 48 in the country, and it was amazing and inspiring to compete against such incredibly talented students,” said Mink.
Mink explained that UGA’s mock trial program differs from the majority of teams in the AMTA because there is no coach. The team’s 55 undergraduate members fill all leadership and training roles.
“It’s virtually unprecedented for a student-coached team to finish so highly, and it’s a testament to the quality of students at UGA that wewere able to place in the top three,” he said.
The team placed above programs with as many as 10 professional attorney-coaches, some of whom have argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Competing on the UGA team were Mink (co-captain); Alana Driscoll, a senior from Cumming majoring in political science and Spanish; Alex Galvan, a senior from Hamilton majoring in English; Michelle Pope, a senior from Roswell majoring in sociology; Vera Maladtsova, a junior from Norcross majoring in accounting; Ethan Treacy (co-captain), a junior from Tallahassee, Fla. majoring in political science; Veronica Evans, a sophomore from Johns Creek majoring in public relations and theater; and Lauren Lutton, a sophomore from Norcross majoring in psychology.
The UGA Undergraduate Mock Trial Program is a registered student organization in the Department of Campus Life within the UGA Division of Student Affairs. For more information, see www.ugamocktrial.org.
