Mock Trial Team Places 9th in National Championship Tournament |
 Members of the EKU team at the National Mock Trial Championship Tournament were, from left, Zac Caldwell, Karen Owens, Kristeena Winkler, Tony Listermann, Katrina Winkler, Seth Reeves, Miranda Westbrook, Jessica Spencer and Dale Perry. |
EKU’s mock trial team finished ninth in the National Championship Tournament, held in Minneapolis, Minn., April 4-6, beating out several nationally prominent competitors. |
Only the top 10 percent of teams nationwide qualified for the event. The EKU squad finished ahead of teams from the UCLA, Penn State, Georgetown University, Boston University, Brandeis, Notre Dame, the University of Virginia, Cornell, Northwestern, Rhodes and Stanford, among others.
“We actually met Princeton, Brandeis, Harvard and the University of Tennessee in rounds, winning one ballot from Princeton (which won the second ballot) and losing only to Harvard, which ended up in second place,” said Dr. Sara Zeigler, faculty adviser for the EKU team. “Obviously, this was a very elite group of teams. (The EKU team) did a fantastic job.”
In fact, Zeigler called it “the best performance at a championship tournament by an EKU team in the program’s history,” adding, “I am extremely proud of the students and grateful for the support provided by the University.”
Members of the EKU team are Kristeena and Katrina Winkler, Richmond; Zac Caldwell, Elizabethtown; Tony Listermann, Cincinnati; Karen Owens, Tyner; Seth Reeves, Corbin; Jessica Spencer, Mount Olivet; Dale Perry, Stamping Ground; and Miranda Westbrook, Villa Hills. The students comprise several different academic majors, and four are members of the University’s Honors Program.
Other coaches for the team are Tom Parker and Lynette Noblitt.
Support for travel to the event was provided by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Honors Program.
