Roger Williams University Mock Trial Team Earns Bid to National Tournament

BRISTOL, RI (03/12/2011)(readMedia)-- The Roger Williams University Mock Trial team continues its tradition of strong regional performances in 2011. In February, the team placed fifth at the American Mock Trial Regional Tournament at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., earning a bid to the American Mock Trial Association Opening Round Championship Series tournament. Teams had to earn a top eight finish to continue in the competition.

Roger Williams University joined Brown University as the only Rhode Island schools to earn this distinction. Other schools receiving top honors at the tournament include Yale University, Boston College, Princeton University and Iona College.

In addition to the team's victory, two RWU students garnered individual praise at the competition. With the highest possible score among attorneys at the tournament, junior Katherine Dumeer received an All-Regional Best Attorney Award; also receiving top marks in her category was junior and team captain Leigh Wilmot, who received an All-Regional Best Witness Award.

The Mock Trial team's success marks the second consecutive year that RWU has earned a bid to compete at the Opening Round Championship Series. In 2010 the team placed eighth in a field of 24 teams at the Opening Round Championship, earning honorable mention for their performance.

The opening round tournament will take place March 12 and 13 at Pace Law School in White Plains, N.Y. Should the team place among the top six schools at the opening round tournament – a surmountable task given the experience of returning team members – RWU will advance to the National Championship in Des Moines, Iowa, in April.

For more information about the tournament, contact Lisa Newcity, associate professor in RWU's School of Justice Studies, at (401) 254-3729.

About RWU: Roger Williams University is a leading independent, coeducational liberal arts university at which students live and learn to be global citizens. With 41 academic programs and an array of co-curricular activities on its Bristol, R.I., campus, RWU is committed to its mantra of learning to bridge the world. In the last decade, the University has achieved unprecedented academic and financial successes and continues to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top ten educational institutions in its class.