Northwestern’s Mock Trial team captured eighth place earlier this month at the American Mock Trial Association National Championship Tournament — the group’s best finish since 2015.

Several team members said the win broke the “curse” they joked kept them from advancing beyond ninth place in the past three consecutive tournaments. 

“Their eighth-place finish is not something that happened by accident,” NU Mock Trial coach Michael Zhou said.

The American Mock Trial Association released the case for the national competition on March 20, which gave teams about three weeks to prepare for the in-person contest in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. After returning to campus from Spring Break, NU’s Mock Trial team worked on the case for several hours each weeknight, ran a bootcamp weekend and scrimmaged other teams, including Duke University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago.

NU won ninth place in both 2018 and 2019 and 10th place in the virtual 2021 tournament, after the 2020 competition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Communication freshman Rand Meyer said the team “internally exploded” during this year’s awards ceremony when they realized they surpassed ninth place.

“I was totally aware of how rare this opportunity was not only to get to nationals, which itself would be super rare and exceeding all expectations, but to do it as a freshman, I was like, this is such a rare opportunity,” Meyer said. 

Weinberg junior and Team Captain Tahj Burnett and SESP senior Ruby Scanlon also each won an individual attorney award, making them All-Americans, an honor awarded to the best attorneys and witnesses in the country. Because the national competition was canceled in 2020, Burnett said only a handful of All-American competitors were left in the country.

“It’s really exciting to be a part of that group of people,” Burnett said. “That was one of my end goals, and I feel like I’ve reached it.”

This year’s case concerned a police officer on trial for embezzling state property from the department’s evidence unit, including drugs and money. 

Burnett said this case felt more real than those of previous years because the group had to facilitate conversations about which members would portray the witnesses in the competition. 

“I appreciate it that the case was more serious than it’s been in the past,” he said.

Adding to their stress before the tournament, the team also had a COVID-19 scare after a member fell sick. However, since no one tested positive, the group flew to Lancaster from April 8 to 10 as planned.

Scanlon, who is graduating in June, said the team felt like her “home away from home” during her four years.

“It’s really not the awards or the placements that matter,” Scanlon said. “When I think about the team, I think about all the fond memories we shared and the goofy moments.”

Head Coach Nathaniel Warner said he encouraged the students, particularly seniors, to soak in the moment during their competition. 

Weinberg junior and Team Captain Abigail Roman-Ahlgrim said the closing ceremonies were a standout moment because the association acknowledged all the graduating members. The four seniors on NU Mock Trial’s team, all women, stood up for the moment of recognition. 

“These were the women who shaped me, not just as a member of this program and a competitor, but just as a college student,” Roman-Ahlgrim said. “So much of my college experience has been influenced by those individuals.”

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Twitter: @MadisonBratley

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