Conn hosts, excels at American Mock Trial Association’s regional competition

Although the cases and characters were fictional, fates were sealed by hard-won rulings handed down at the American Mock Trial Association’s regional competition at Connecticut College on Feb. 14 and 15. Conn hosted 26 teams from 15 schools, along with more than 60 local attorneys and legal professionals serving as judges.

Each team registered with AMTA purchases the same case in the summer, and everyone uses that case for all competitions and scrimmages throughout the season. The cases can be civil or criminal and teams can play them out however they want, explained the staff adviser of Conn’s Mock Trial club, Deb Brunetti, associate director of the Hale Center for Career Development and pre-law adviser.

At this regional competition, which Conn hosted for the fourth year, Conn’s Bactrian and Dromedary teams both presented their own spin on this season’s case, a murder trial called State v. Martin. Each Conn team has eight or nine Camels, and only two teams from the same school can compete in one regional. The Camelidae team will present their unique approach to the case this weekend at the regional hosted by Seton Hall in South Orange, New Jersey.

Like every trial in the AMTA universe, State v. Martin takes place in the little-known 51st U.S. state of Midlands. The defendant, Charlie Martin, stands accused of murdering his fellow contestant Rob Armstrong on the set of a reality TV show known as “The Saboteurs,” based on the real TV show “The Traitors.” Available witnesses aside from the defendant include the medical examiner who discovered oxalic acid in the decedent’s body, the FBI agent who was undercover on set prior to the death, and many others. All three Conn teams formulated unique case theories and honed witness calls, statements and objections across the competition season.

Club president Anna Taylor ’26, from Pleasanton, California, is a Classics and government double major with a minor in history who is also in the Peace and Conflict Pathway. She said interaction with other teams was a major season highlight for her. “Northeastern A in particular was very fun to compete with, and we have formed positive relationships with so many other teams,” she said. “The Bactrian defense side also competed a wild case theory, an alternate suspect, which no other teams we encountered ran, so it was very rewarding to see the look of shock on other teams’ faces when they heard the name of our alternate suspect in opening statements.”

Alumnus Austin Robertson ’23, who volunteered as a judge, said, “I am so impressed with the team and how much it has grown. I remember when the club could barely even figure out scrimmages with other schools in Connecticut, and now they’re competing all over the region.”

Brunetti said the weekend was “hugely successful all around. I could not be prouder of them or happier to support them. I have witnessed firsthand how the student leaders have demonstrated commitment to the club and each other, their initiative in raising it from the ground up, their determination in fostering its growth and their dedication to their craft.” She added that their efforts earned them accolades from AMTA national representatives, visiting students and their coaches, and volunteer judges.

With regionals in the books, Conn’s club has banged the gavel on another record-breaking competition season. The three teams attended four invitationals during the fall semester. At the first three, held at UConn, the University of Albany and Northeastern, respectively, Paige Nitti ’28, Anna Vredevgood ’25, Andrew Kupovitch ’26, and Emma Puntin ’26 earned individual awards. Conn’s club also earned the highest CS (Competitor Strength) in the entire tournament, meaning they had the hardest schedule possible and competed against the most-skilled teams.

At the fourth and final competition of the semester at Bryant College, the Bactrian and Camelidae teams set a single-competition record for the program when five students—Briana Besanceney ’28, Landen Ellsworth ’28, Mia Nordberg ’28, Anna Taylor ’26 and Nitti—each earned an award. Camelidae went on to compete at Quinnipiac’s Bobcat Invitational in January with a strong showing, and Bactrian spent the last weekend of January competing against a number of very strong teams at Wesleyan’s Cardinal Classic.

AMTA sponsors regional and national competitions and provides interesting and complex case materials for academic use. The organization hosts 32 regional tournaments, eight opening round championship tournaments and a national championship tournament each season, which include a total of 700 teams from over 400 universities and colleges. In total, AMTA provides a forum for over 7,300 undergraduate students each academic year to engage in intercollegiate mock trial competitions across the U.S.

Taylor reflected, “For six of us seniors, this was our final undergraduate mock trial experience, and I am so happy that I got to have such an incredible competition with such amazing people for my last competition. Standing on the stage at closing ceremonies, looking out at nearly 250 competitors and coaches who all came to Conn for the event, I was struck by how far both I personally and this incredible program have come.”