Sem Mock Trial Wins State Competition

Shailee Desai ‘21

On March 22, 2018, the Wyoming Seminary Mock Trial team travelled to Harrisburg to compete in the statewide mock trial tournament. In order to get there, they competed in the district championship, winning against Hazelton in the final round, and won the regional championship, defeating Nazareth Area in the final round.

The state competition consisted of all the regional winners from 10 different regions, resulting in 14 teams total. Sem Mock Trial won the first three rounds, and in the final round, defeated Penn Trafford High School in order to win the 2018 Pennsylvania State Championship. The last time the Blue Knights won a state title was in 2011; additionally, the team went undefeated all season, having not lost a single trial this season.

Individual team members were also recognized for their records. Corey Bohn ‘18, Shailee Desai ‘21, and Meghna Melkote ‘18, won best advocate awards on that weekend. Philip Oulette ‘19, Molly Leahy ‘19, and Jillayne Gumbs ‘20 won best witness awards.

The next stop for the team is the national tournament, which will be held in Reno, Nevada. The team will leave for Reno on May 8 and return on May 13, and they will be competing with teams from each of the fifty-states and from U.S. Territories.

“We had a very young team this year, but we worked hard all year long and it definitely paid off,” said Meghna Melkote ‘18, team senior and captain. “We are all so incredibly excited to attend nationals in Reno, Nevada. It will no doubt be an amazing experience.

The Blue Knights have had an amazing season in mock trial this year, and the Sem community wishes them luck as they compete in the national tournament!