Mock Trial teams from across the country descended on the Missouri State University campus Nov. 1-3, 2024, to compete in the annual Bear Brawl Classic Mock Trial tournament.
The Bear Brawl Classic is one of many invitational tournaments across the nation that utilize American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) rules and case materials.
MSU’s Mock Trial team not only hosted the event but also competed along with eight other schools. Those schools were Bellarmine University, Hendrix College, Rhodes College, Saint Louis University, University of Central Missouri, University of Mississippi, University of Missouri-Kansas City and University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Representatives from MSU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice organized the tournament. These included Mock Trial coordinators Dr. Jennifer LaPrade and Dr. Jordan Riddell, MSU alum and founding team member Chris Johnson and graduate assistant Samantha Trowbridge.
“The preparation for a tournament like this is a big lift and very time consuming,” said Dr. Brett Garland, head of the criminology and criminal justice school. “Drs. LaPrade and Riddell and our Mock Trial team members deserve a lot of praise for organizing and facilitating this event. I’m personally very proud of them all.”
MSU’s Mock Trial team will next compete at University of Missouri-Kansas City Nov. 22-24.
Tournament winners
Rhodes College took first place in this year’s Bear Brawl Classic. St. Louis University placed second, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln placed third.
Bellarmine University won the Spirit of AMTA award, given to the team that best exemplifies the ideals of honesty, civility and fair play. University of Nebraska-Lincoln received an Honorable Mention.
Top honors for Collison
MSU also garnered some impressive wins during the event.
Junior criminology and criminal justice major Zackary Collison won top honors for outstanding witness, receiving a perfect 20/20 for his role as a defense witness.
“This is my first-ever perfect rank, so I was extremely excited,” Collison said.
Collison started the season playing both a witness and an attorney, but said he will play character witnesses for the remainder of the competitive season.
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