Lena Hallaj of St. Charles Finished in the Top Ten at Opening Round of National Tournament

2012 Mar 21

Lena Hallaj of St. Charles, Ill. and other members of the Lewis University Mock Trial B team finished in the Top Ten of the opening rounds of the American Mock Trial Association's Opening Round Championship Series held March 9-11 at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan, Ill. The B team finished in ninth place and the A team finished in 17th place. "This has been our strongest team and individual season in many years," commented Dr. Jim Houlihan, head coach, professor and director of the Pre-Law program at Lewis University.

Lewis University and Notre Dame University earned the most individual awards. Freshman David DeSchepper won Intercollegiate Outstanding Attorney award. Freshman Megan Arehart and senior Kevin Whelehan won Intercollegiate Outstanding Witness awards. Whelehan won five individual awards this season.

During the tournament, the Lewis B team defeated Notre Dame University A team, tied with University of Wisconsin A team, split with fourth place University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign A team, and lost to fifth place Northwood University B team. Those matches determined that University of Wisconsin and Notre Dame University would not proceed to the second round of nationals. Lewis B team members include: Megan Arehart, Natosha Burton, David DeSchepper, Lena Hallaj, Cary Hansing, Michael Noe, Ron Jovi Ramirez, Joshua Rehak and Danielle Volk.

Lewis A defeated Elmhurst College, lost to third place Northwood A team, split with eighth place University of Minnesota A team, and lost to first place University of Illinois Chicago A team. "The A team had the highest ranked strength of opposition in the tournament," added Houlihan. Lewis A team members include: John Catalano, Martell Khattab, Sean Lenckus, Sara Morgan, Cassandra Myers, Michael Park, Nicole Tucker, Tiffany Wasilewski and Kevin Whelehan.

Coaches for the Lewis Mock Trial Team include Dr. Houlihan, head coach; and Lewis alumni William Rock of Block Klukas & Manzella law firm in Joliet as attorney coach, John Senese of the Peter Francis Geraci Law Offices in Chicago as lead team coach; and graduate student Brandi Sanders as witness coach.

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. Please visit http://www.lewisu.edu for more information.