Jennifer Merzlock and the Lewis University Mediation Team Dominate Season Opener

2011 Oct 12

Jennifer Merzlock of Joliet recently earned awards as Lewis University's Mediation team dominated in this season's first competition. The Lewis students earned two team awards and seven individual awards at the Peacemaker Mediation tournament Oct. 7-8 at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

The Lewis team of Cody Curin, Jennifer Merzlock and Sean Lenckus took first place in Mediation and third place in Advocacy. The Lewis team of Ryan McAuliffe, Tiffany Wasilewski and Benjamin Pavur won first place in Advocacy and third place in Mediation.

The team competition was very close all throughout the tournament and two Lewis University teams came in second and third place for the Overall Team award. University of Wisconsin-Platteville earned first place honors.

Lewis students took three of the five top individual awards in Mediation: second place-Jennifer Merzlock, third place- Cody Curin, fourth place- Ryan McAuliffe.

In the Advocacy competition, Lewis took two of the top five awards. Jennifer Merzlock and Sean Lenckus came in first place and Ryan McAuliffe and Benjamin Pavur came in second place.

The Lewis University Mediation team is currently ranked eighth in the nation in Attorney Advocacy and 11th in the nation in Mediation.

Mediation members include Cody Curin of Burr Ridge, Sean Lenckus of Plainfield, Ryan McAuliffe of Orland Park, Jennifer Merzlock of Joliet, Ben Pavur of Oak Forest and Tiffany Wasilewski of Ottawa. Jennifer Merzlock is currently a senior studying psychology at Lewis University in Romeoville.

The team is coached by Dr. James Houlihan, professor and advisor for the Pre-Law program, Angela Henderson of Henderson Law Center in Joliet. Contact Dr. James Houlihan at (815) 836-5313 or houlihja@lewisu.edu to learn more about academic teams at Lewis University.

Lewis University is a Catholic university offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 6,500 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally aware, and socially responsible graduates. The ninth largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.