BYU mock trial overcomes adversity to win big at competition

Brigham Young University's brand-new mock trial team won big at the regional competition at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Feb. 20-21.

The team was divided into two groups: an A team of more experienced students and a B team of brand-new competitors.

The A team placed sixth out of 26 teams, moving on to the Opening Round Championship (ORCs). If they move on from ORCs, BYU will compete with 47 other teams at the national championship.

The B team also received its own accolade, winning the Spirit of American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) award. This award is given to the team that best exemplifies friendliness and professionalism.

The Spirit of AMTA, unlike other awards at the competition, is especially significant because peers, rather than judges, vote on it.

Dallin Bundy, a new team member, said he's proud of the way BYU handled itself at the competition.

"I think we're able to represent BYU in the best way possible, not only in terms of what we're able to accomplish in an actual mock trial, but also in what we stand for, in civility," he said.

Both teams competed at Drake University for the very first time this year.

A BYU mock trial team has been a long time coming. Students have tried for years to balance faith with competition, a balance made difficult by mock trial competitions often falling on Sundays.

Until recently, this problem stifled progress towards BYU competing.

Team founders Peter Hyde and Dallin Christensen discussed the miraculous process of getting the team off the ground.

Hyde and Christensen founded the group with the help of what they say is a mix of work and divine intervention.

Several months back, Christensen stumbled into a pre-law event and started talking to professors about starting up a competitive mock trial team. They directed him towards Christopher Krewson, a political science professor at BYU.

Along with the political science department, which the pair said has been a dream to work with, Hyde and Christensen received critical help from the former president of the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA).

Former AMTA president Justin Bernstein was the man behind the religious accommodations that made it possible for BYU to compete on Saturday instead of Sunday.

While he was president of AMTA, Bernstein created religious accommodations that extended far beyond BYU. These accommodations allowed for more flexibility for competitors needing room to pray, fast or skip sabbath competition.

After his tenure at AMTA, he has worked extensively with the BYU mock trial team to continue the religious accommodations needed for the team.

"It was a real privilege, and honestly a miracle. We feel that we had the chance to advance in our first year out of such a competitive competition, and we're really looking forward to what's next, Christensen said.

Hyde also shared Christensens gratitude for the teams successes.

I was just grateful that we were able to found the mock trial team. It was really fun to see some excellent competitors and get to go head-to-head with them, he said. We get to represent BYU, and I think that's incredibly meaningful.

The next competition, the Opening Round Championship, is set to take place March 13-14 at Macalester University in St. Paul, Minnesota. While the mock trial team is preparing for the next competition, members said they are also recruiting additional students to join the program in preparation for next year.

If students are interested in joining, they can fill out this interest form.