Mock Trial team takes first place in first tournament of season

North Central College’s Mock Trial team is off to a winning start, taking first place at Quincy University’s annual Riverside Classic Mock Trial Tournament on Oct. 20—the team’s first of seven contests during fall and winter terms.

North Central sent one team of 11—eight are first-time “mockers”—to this tournament. Three students claimed top individual awards. Chemistry major Peggy Wojkowski ’13 won Outstanding Witness and Outstanding Attorney, English/literature major Brandon Sarkauskas ’15 earned Outstanding Attorney, and global studies/international relations major Rachel Foy ’15 won Outstanding Attorney.

Held inside a courtroom at the Adams County Courthouse in Quincy, Ill., the tournament posted 14 teams from nine schools, including Illinois State University, St. Louis University, Bradley University, Culver-Stockton College, Lewis University, Elgin College and Wheaton College. Students argued both sides of a wrongful death civil case assigned by the American Mock Trial Association and were judged by actual sitting judges.

The team is coached by two North Central and Mock Trial alumni: attorney-coach Dan Taylor ’01 and assistant coach Josh Bailey ’11, who won multiple Outstanding Attorney and Outstanding Witness awards while a student. Bailey also works as a periodicals and electronic resources assistant in Oesterle Library.

Taylor noted that because North Central starts fall classes a few weeks later than most schools, students devote extra time and effort to make up for lost time. “This makes their success all the more impressive,” Taylor says.

Following is the schedule of future tournaments:

Oct. 27-28, Bradley University
Nov. 10-11, Elgin Community College
Dec. 1-2, University of St. Francis
Jan. 19-20, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jan. 26-27, Loras College
Feb. 16-17, Lewis University—Regionals
Spring, Nationals

Photo, from left: Katie Madel ’16, English literature; Terecita Gil ’14, global studies, developing states; Sarah Cline ’15, global studies, Europe; Wojkowski (front); Jacob Magyar ’16, Spanish; Foy; Sarkauskas; Tom Finnegan ’14, English writing; Julie Mussared ’14, organizational communication; Dan Vogrin ’14, political science; Alec Phillipp ’14, sociology, criminal justice.