News

Bellarmine Going Back to the National Championship Tournament!

Not even a foot of snow and a level three snow emergency could stop the Bellarmine Mock Trial team in its quest for a bid to the National Championship Tournament in Minneapolis. 

Seven competing students (Staci Windsor, Danielle Reesor, Alex Flood, Thomas Pedron, Chelsea Brown, Paul Bauer and Ariel Edlin), three teammates (Brooks Herrick, Connie Kremer and Sarah Bogrett), and four coaches braved the treacherous weather in central Ohio to compete in the Hamilton National Tournament (referred to in the past as the "Silver National").  At stake were three bids to the National Championship Tournament (the "Gold National"), which will be held April 4-6.

Taking the mentality that the path to the championship goes through Bellarmine, team 852 embraced the challenge of a difficult road to earn its bid.  In the first round random draw, Bellarmine drew the University of Michigan, a perennial powerhouse.  In a very close round, both judges agreed that Bellarmine was better, and Bellarmine moved out to a 2-0 record heading into the second round.

In the second round, Bellarmine hit Cornell University, one of two Ivy League schools in attendance.  Again, the round was close, but the judges awarded their ballots to Bellarmine.  At 4-0, heading into the third round, Bellarmine was in great shape.  But the toughest competition was yet to come.

In the third round, team 852 drew Miami (Ohio) University, the national champion in 2001.  This was a classic matchup -- Miami's top team against the top team from Bellarmine.  Spectators who saw the round said that the atmosphere was simply electric -- like two heavyweight boxers slugging it out in front of a packed house.  The judges could not agree as to which team presented the better case, and both teams earned one ballot.  

So, Bellarmine was 5-1 heading into the fourth and final round.  With that strong record, Bellarmine was sure to hit a formidable opponent.  And they did.  The last two years, one of the last two teams standing has been Harvard University.  They have finished as runner-up to the University of Virginia in 2006 and 2007.  Harvard has been the trendy pick to unseat Virginia as the top team in the country this year. 

It was tradition versus trendiness, and tradition won.  One judge scored a clear victory for Bellarmine, while the other could not pick a winner and awarded a tied ballot (half of a ballot to each team).  With a victory and a tie against Harvard, Bellarmine's record ended up at 6 wins 1 loss and 1 tie.  As a testament to the strength of Bellarmine's opponents, three of the four teams Bellarmine played finished in the top 10, while Cornell was honorable mention.  As a further testament, Bellarmine's last two opponents finished first and third in the competition, respectively.  Bellarmine was second overall, and earned one of the three coveted bids to the National Championship Tournament.

So much time and energy went into the preparation necessary to take on Michigan, Cornell, Miami and Harvard, and the coaches must say that these students who give their lives to this endeavor are just special people.  It was also incredibly heartening to see their teammates from team 853 in attendance to root them on.  The season continues, and Bellarmine will be a force to be reckoned with in Minnesota.