Martin Romo of Romeoville helps Mock Trial Team earn 15th national bid

2015 Mar 6

A sixth place finish at the regional competition earned the Lewis University Mock Trial Team a bid to the national American Mock Trial Association tournament for the 15th time in less than 20 years. Next, the Lewis team will compete in the Opening Round Championship Series Tournament March 20-22 in Geneva, Illinois.

For the second consecutive year, Anthony Scorzo (co-captain) won an Outstanding Attorney Award at the Joliet, Illinois regional Tournament hosted by Lewis University.

His fellow co-team captains David DeSchepper and Megan Arehart led teammates Larry Beyer, M'Aggie Huggins and Erica Swanberg in strong performances. Dustin Murray was the highest scoring witness on the Lewis team, missing the Outstanding Witness honor by one point. Other team members include Martin Romo, Kajal Sharma and Ashley Patek.

Romeoville (60446) resident Martin Romo is studying Criminal/Social Justice at Lewis University.

Head Coach Dr. James Houlihan, professor of Justice, Law, and Public Safety Studies and advisor of the Pre-Law program, said all the team members performed well against tough competition.

The Flyers opened very strong in the first two rounds, sweeping St. Norbert College and Benedictine University. In the third round, Lewis gave Northern Illinois University their toughest battle of the competition. NIU pulled out the win and finished the tournament in first place as an undefeated team. The fourth round, Lewis split with University of Chicago, who also won a bid to the national tournament.

"This success at the regional tournament for Mock Trial makes for an exciting March for our academic teams in the Pre-Law program. It's nice to have that wealth of talent and ability so we can field both teams in these competitions against the best teams in the world," Houlihan concluded. During the same week as the opening round of the Mock Trial National Tournament, the Lewis Mediation team will be competing in the selective international tournament at Drake Law School.

Lewis University Mock Trial Coaches include Bill Rock of Block, Kulkas, Manzella & Shellin Joliet, Paul Namie of Law Offices of Jason R. Moseley in Merriville, Ind., and Cary Hansing, a financial analyst for BP Oil. Contact Head Coach Dr. James Houlihan, professor of Justice, Law, and Public Safety Studies, at (815) 836-5313 or houlihja@lewisu.edu to learn more about the academic teams at Lewis University.

Lewis University is a Catholic university in the Lasallian tradition offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,700 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 connected, and socially responsible graduates. The seventh 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.