(Posted October 31, 2022)

Juniata College’s nationally-ranked Mock Trial blue team brought home the championship from the Sleeping Bowtie Invitational this weekend. Blue team members are front row, from the left, Alex Sanna ’24, Nattie Daversa ’23; second row, assistant coach Meadow Walshaw-Wertz ’21, Brenna Haggerty ’25, Kyle Boyer ’24, coach Dave Andrews ’74; and third row, Rich Wei ’26, Emerson Strawser ’25, captain Dan Cummins ’24, and Olivia Day ’24.

Juniata College’s nationally-ranked Mock Trial blue team brought home the championship from the Sleeping Bowtie Invitational this weekend. Blue team members are front row, from the left, Alex Sanna ’24, Nattie Daversa ’23; second row, assistant coach Meadow Walshaw-Wertz ’21, Brenna Haggerty ’25, Kyle Boyer ’24, coach Dave Andrews ’74; and third row, Rich Wei ’26, Emerson Strawser ’25, captain Dan Cummins ’24, and Olivia Day ’24.

HUNTINGDON, Pa. — Facing down top-level competitors, Juniata College’s nationally-ranked Mock Trial team brought home the championship from this weekend’s Sleeping Bowtie Invitational at Dickinson College.

“I was very proud of our Team’s performance this weekend in defeating excellent schools, including Haverford College, Carnegie-Mellon University, and the College of William and Mary,” said Attorney David Andrews, Mock Trial Coach, and Juniata College Counsel.

Five team members were recognized with individual awards, a tremendous feat in Mock Trial. Rich Wei ’26 of Altoona, Pa., and Emerson Strawser ’25 of Harrisburg, Pa., won Outstanding Witness Awards for the A team, Juli DesRosiers ’26 of Fairfax, Va., and Max Oley ’25 of Richmond, Va., won Outstanding Witness Awards for the B team. Dan Cummins ’24 of Clarks Summit, Pa., was the only attorney at the tournament to win Outstanding Attorney awards on both the Plaintiff and Defendant sides of the case.

Juniata College took first place, finishing ahead of Dickinson College in second place, the College of William and Mary in third place, and University of Pittsburgh in fourth place. Juniata’s Mock Trial Team next travels to Carnegie-Mellon for their Invitational on Nov. 12 and 13.

Governed by the AMTA, Mock Trial is an academic competition in which students assume the roles of attorneys and witnesses in a trial. Teams compete against other colleges and universities, with no distinction between Divisions 1, 2, and 3. In competition, each team tries the case four times, twice as prosecution and twice as defense. All teams are given the same information, and witnesses must stick to the affidavit provided, but the ways different teams interpret the information highlight and challenge each member’s ability to adapt, problem-solve, and think on their feet.

This season’s case concerns an Independence Day plane crash in which a pilot deviated from the planned flight route and crashed into a mountainside. The pilot and a passenger, Morgan Felder, lost their lives in the tragedy. The passenger’s surviving spouse, Ari Felder, brought a negligence lawsuit. The case involves many possible factors for the crash, including pilot error, drug usage, the pilot’s medical condition, and even fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Teams compete against other colleges and universities. All teams are given the same information, and witnesses must stick to the affidavit provided, but the ways different teams interpret the information highlight and challenge each member’s ability to adapt, problem-solve, and think on their feet.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.