News Releases

The Iona College Mock Trial Team recently completed its invitational tournament schedule highlighted by impressive top-ten finishes in every competition they entered.

The team attended three tournaments this year including competitions at Brandeis University, Yale University and Cornell University. At Brandeis, the team finished in 9th place out of 25 teams with a record of 5 wins and 3 losses. At Yale, the team finished in 6th place out of 32 teams with a record of 6-2. At Cornell, the team finished in 5th place out of 28 teams, with a record of 5-2-1.

Under the direction of Dr. Paul O’Connell, Chair of the Criminal Justice department in the School of Arts and Sciences, the Iona team consists of nine students and trial coaches Adam Detsky, Esq. and Allyson Crespo ’05. The team members include: Ashley Reid '08, Martine Joseph '08, Jennifer Putetti '09, Amanda DeRosa '09, Isaac Gilwit '09, Katrina Monkarsh '10, Alida Marcos '10, Brittni Uhl '11 and Amy Cassidy '11.

In addition to the top ten finishes, the team has also earned five awards for individual performances.  “I can’t say enough about how hard these students have worked to achieve these results. They are a fantastic group of students” said coach Detsky.

So far this year, the team has faced competition from Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell, Penn State, Wellesley, College of the Holy Cross, St. Louis University, Roger Williams University, Northwood University and Hamilton College.

The mock trial team's next competition is scheduled for February 22-24.  They will be competing in a field that includes teams from NYU, Columbia, Cornell, U. Penn, Syracuse, Fordham and St. John's, among others.

The Iona pre-law mock trial team is an academic competition team that teaches students the basics of trial advocacy. The team competes at various competitions throughout the region in the name of Iona College. It is supported by Dean Alexander Eodice and the College of Arts and Sciences.

The competition is sponsored by The American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) and serves as the governing body for intercollegiate mock trial competition. Through engaging in trial simulations in competition with teams from other institutions, students develop critical thinking and public speaking skills, as well as knowledge of legal practices and procedures.

The team is open to anyone interested in learning about the law. For further information, please contact Dr. Paul O'Connell in the criminal justice department at 914-633-2111.

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For questions or more information please contact:
Dawn Insanalli
Public Relations Office
Iona College, 715 North Avenue, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10801
tel: (914) 633-2005 fax: (914) 637-2711
dinsanalli@iona.edu

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