Reynolds College Blog

Mock Trial team advances to national competition rounds

by

One of Missouri State University’s Mock Trial teams has advanced to the Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS) of the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) annual national tournament.

Twenty-three teams from 15 different universities competed in the AMTA regional tournament Feb. 21-22. The University of Oklahoma’s College of Law in Norman, Oklahoma, hosted this year’s regionals.

Only six teams could advance to first round national competition, said Dr. Jordan Riddell, Mock Trial coach and faculty advisor. Riddell is also an assistant professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

This year, team 1083 from Missouri State was among those six.

Missouri State sent two Mock Trial teams to the regionals. “Both teams faced stiff competition, with each facing three teams from nationally ranked mock trial programs,” Riddell said.

Next stop: Memphis

The ORCS will be held March 20-22 in Memphis, Tennessee. Rhodes College hosts this year’s event at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center.

Missouri State’s team will need to finish in the top six to advance beyond the ORCS, Riddell said.

“Team 1083 will face strong competitors from nationally ranked programs,” Riddell said. “They may end up going head-to-head against teams from top-ten ranked programs like University of Texas, University of Georgia and Rhodes College.”

This season, Mock Trial students have competed in seven tournaments, Riddell said. Six of those tournaments were invitationals, including the annual Bear Brawl tournament, which Missouri State hosts. They also competed in tournaments at the University of Arkansas, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Kansas, University of Missouri-Columbia and the George Allen Courthouse, hosted by Texas A&M University, in Dallas, Texas.

[Read more…] about Mock Trial team advances to national competition rounds

Fourth annual Judy Awards celebrate Reynolds College excellence

by

Missouri State University’s Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH) held its fourth annual Judy Awards May 2, 2025, at The Old Glass Place.

Two women standing at podium during ceremony.
Jennifer Murvin and Dr. Judith Martinez hosted the 2025 ceremony.

The event honors the legacy of Judith Enyeart Reynolds by celebrating the achievements of faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends within the RCASH community.

RCASH Associate Dean Dr. Jake Simmons opened the ceremony, followed by hosts Dr. Judith Martinez and Jennifer Murvin, who announced the 2025 winners. RCASH Dean Dr. Shawn Wahl then presented the Dean’s Awards.

Mock Trial students recognized

For the first time, the Judy Awards recognized a student organization for its achievements. Missouri State’s Mock Trial Team, from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, received the Dean’s Champion Award.

“The Mock Trial Team is the first student group being recognized with a Judy Award,” Wahl said, adding that the team competes at regional and national levels.

“I am especially proud of our students who compete against larger public and private universities,” he said.

Two staff members merit recognition

Another first this year was to recognize two Staff Impact Award recipients instead of one. The awards went to Christy Titus of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and James Chang from the Department of English.

“The Staff Impact Awards recognize outstanding Reynolds College staff who focus on building and maintaining conditions of excellence for students and faculty,” Wahl said. “Christy and James are both deserving of this special recognition.”

English department wins award of distinction

The awards ceremony concluded with the Department of English receiving the Dean’s Award of Distinction for excellent performance as an academic unit over the past year.

“The English Department continues to raise the bar with high quality research and teaching innovation, including graduate program expansion,” Wahl said. “In addition, the department maintains robust dual credit offerings.”

Awards commemorate Reynolds’ legacy

Named in honor of Reynolds, a dedicated staff member and role model for many years in the English department, the Judy Awards cover a variety of contributions to the college, ranging from traditional awards in teaching, research and service to those that recognize collaboration and other efforts that highlight the pillars of the University’s public affairs mission.

Except for the Dean’s awards categories, winners were nominated either by their peers or self-nominated, then selected by representatives from each academic department serving on the Judy Awards selection committee.

[Read more…] about Fourth annual Judy Awards celebrate Reynolds College excellence

MSU Mock Trial team wins first place at Mid-Missouri tournament

by

Missouri State University’s Mock Trial team won the championship at the 2025 Mid-Missouri Mock Trial Invitational, held Jan. 25-26 in Columbia, Missouri.

The tournament was hosted by the Board of Advocates at the University of Missouri-Columbia Law School and Columbia College.

Two MSU Mock Trial teams competed in the tournament, according to Dr. Jennifer LaPrade, Mock Trial coordinator and associate professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

The first Mock Trial team won 6.5 out of eight ballots after competing against the University of Arkansas, the University of Missouri, Wheaton College and Southern Methodist University.

The second Mock Trial team also placed well, LaPrade added, winning five out of eight ballots after competing against University of Central Missouri, University of Missouri, Columbia College and Wheaton College.

LaPrade said the wins represent a “big step forward” for the team. “We’ll use this success as motivation to continue growing and improving.”

Six students posing with trophy
Champions of the Mid-Missouri Mock Trial Invitational! L-R: Hannah Killion, Kathryn Wagner, Kenta Otani, Josh Roberts, Zack Collison and Lanya Mangiapanello.

[Read more…] about MSU Mock Trial team wins first place at Mid-Missouri tournament

Mock Trial season off to great start

by

Missouri State University’s Mock Trial season is off to a great start.

That’s according to Dr. Jennifer LaPrade, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice and head coach of the Mock Trial team.

“We have a talented, bright, hard-working group of students on the team who are growing by leaps and bounds every week,” she said. “We are having a lot of fun this season.”

Already notching up the wins

During the recent Bear Brawl Classic, held on the MSU campus Nov. 1-3, the Mock Trial team not only played tournament hosts, they also got to hone their competitive skills.

They also notched up a few wins.

Junior criminology and criminal justice major Zackary Collison won top honors for outstanding witness. He received a perfect 20/20 for his role as a defense witness.

Meanwhile, Josh Roberts, also a junior criminology and criminal justice major, won an outstanding witness honor. Delilah Boggs, a junior political science and philosophy major, won an outstanding attorney honor.

Success at UMKC

Group of smiling students holding trophies
Placing third at the UMKC Mock Trial tournament were Zackary Collison, Layna Mangiapanello, Kenta Otani, Kathryn Wagner, Josh Roberts, Hannah Killion and Ben Huinda.

At the UMKC tournament held Nov. 22-24, Mock Trial members added more wins to their already successful start.

In the overall competition, one of MSU’s two Mock Trial teams placed third out of a total of 26 teams.

In addition, two team members won individual awards at the UMKC event. Sophomore criminology and criminal justice major Masey Washington won an Outstanding Attorney award, and junior math/math education double major Layna Mangiapanello won an Outstanding Witness award.

“It is incredible to witness what Mock Trial has become at Missouri State in such a short time,” said Dr. Brett Garland, head of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. “Prior to Dr. LaPrade’s arrival in 2020, there was nothing like it on campus. Going into its fifth year, our Mock Trial team is now regionally and nationally recognized as an up-and-comer, competing neck-and-neck with some of the best in the country.”

[Read more…] about Mock Trial season off to great start

Bear Brawl Classic shines light on Mock Trial program

by

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.

[Read more…] about Bear Brawl Classic shines light on Mock Trial program