Six of the eight students advanced deep into the tournament, and two of its students secured an extremely coveted bid to the National Championship Tournament (NCT), which begins in January in Memphis, Tennessee. This is the moot-court equivalent of making it to the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. Four other WestConn students also came within a hair’s breadth of qualifying for the NCT as well.

At a moot court tournament, students engage in mock U.S. Supreme Court arguments. Students are paired in teams of two and argue against schools from all across the country.

WestConn’s four pairs were led by Grace Parkosewich and Julia Meadows, who earned a bid to the NCT. They went undefeated on the first day after defeating teams from Holy Cross College, the University of Connecticut, and Framingham State University. To clinch their bid to the NCT, they defeated a team from Bentley University.

Yaritza Santana-Jimenez and Justin Shapiro were also spectacular. They reached the second day of the tournament after defeating teams from Marist College and Merrimack College. Despite a valiant effort, they lost a split 2-1 decision in the round that would have punched their ticket to the NCT.

Gianna Ruby-DaSilva and Olivia Burroughs also made the second day of tournament. They performed well on the first day, earning a win against Bentley University and tie against Boston University. Because they had a tie instead of a second win, they took part in a “play-in” round on the second day against Framingham State University, which they convincingly won. However, despite a spirited performance, they lost in a close 2-1 decision in their next round. Just like Justin & Yaritza, they were one ballot short of the NCT.

Alexa Jones & Minhee Mok acquitted themselves extremely well. Unfortunately, the moot-court-ball didn’t bounce their way. Notably, they tied a much more experienced team from the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League School, on the first day. That is no small accomplishment, and they are looking forward to competing again next year. Like every WestConn team, they ranked higher than the only team present from the University of Connecticut.

WestConn moot court head coach, Professor Thomas Miller, said of this year’s team, “I could not be any prouder of our incredible students. From the moment they picked up this problem in May, they gave it their all and then some. Each one contributed to the most successful season in WestConn moot court’s 13-year history. More importantly, each one is a wonderful person and a wonderful teammate.”

Miller also thanked volunteer assistant coaches Vincent Trombetto and Nakita Singh for their invaluable contributions. Miller concluded by saying, “In a world where young people are increasingly isolated, our moot court students have created a community based both on the pursuit of intellectual ideals and on their love for one another. We believe that valuing and loving people is the right thing to do and what produces our spectacular results. Our students are not just great moot court advocates. They’re great human beings, and I am so excited to see how their individual journeys will play out in the years to come. They are the reason that WestConn Moot Court is so special.”

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