David Meets Goliath as Iona Mock Trial Team Qualifies for National Competition For Second Consecutive Year

New Rochelle, NY - In the tradition of David and Goliath, the Iona College Mock Trial team had its most dominant performance in its history at this past weekend's regional qualifying tournament in New Haven, CT.   Coming in behind George Washington and Yale University, Iona placed an impressive third place and will move forward to the national competition in March.

The field consisted of 26 teams from schools located throughout New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts.   Some of the schools attending included George Washington University, Yale, Cornell, Brandeis, Villanova, and Dartmouth, among others.

Mock Trial Coach Adam Detsky, Esq. with the Iona Mock Trial Team

The results are as follows: 1. George Washington University (8-0) 2.Yale University (8-0)
3. Iona College (7-1) 4.George Washington University (6-2) 5.Villanova University (5-1)

In addition to the team honors, Max Gaston, a senior and second-year member of the team, was honored as a top witness at the competition.  

As a result of the third-place finish, Iona qualified for the Opening Rounds of the Championship Series (Aka "ORCS") to be held in White Plains, New York at Pace Law School on March 13 and 14, 2010.   Coach Adam Detsky, Esq. serves as a co-organizer of this tournament on behalf of Iona College.   "If we finish in the top six at that tournament, we will earn a bid to the National Championship Tournament in April, to be held in Memphis, TN.   We welcome and encourage attendance at the ORC tournament in White Plains," said Coach Detsky.

Round by round breakdown:
Round 1:  Iona (prosecution) defeated Yeshiva University, (+16, +17)(Record after round: 2-0)
Round 2:  Iona (defense) defeated Fordham University (+5, +12) (4-0)
Round 3:  Iona (defense) defeated George Washington University (team that finished 4th) (+7, +1) (6-0).   This team's only loss was to Iona.
Round 4:  Iona (prosecution) split judges against Brandeis University (-2, +11) (Final Record: 7-1).

The tournament was officiated by the President of the American Mock Trial Association ("AMTA"), Sara Zeigler.   This year, slightly more than 600 teams from approximately 300 colleges registered.   Each team competes at a regional tournament, with the top 8 from each regional advancing to the opening rounds of the national tournament.  This is our second consecutive year qualifying for nationals.

This most recent success comes just two weeks after attending an Invitational Tournament at Columbia University, where Iona faced four teams ranked amongst the nation's top 100 teams including teams from the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Iowa and Penn State.   "2010 has brought Iona College's national reputation to new heights in perhaps the largest academic competition that Iona participates in. We are extremely grateful for the tremendous support provided by the School of Arts and Science, the Pre-Law Department and the entire Iona College administration and community," said Detsky. The team members are Amy Cassidy '11, Brittni Ulh '11, Kristin Badalamenti '11, Nadia Niazi '10, Max Gaston '10, Amanda Clancy '10, Bryan Hart '10, Sheena Wagaman '12, Zach Benoit '13, Aislinn Appleby '13, and Bryana Brady '13.

Team captains, Brittni Uhl '11 and Amy Cassidy '11, will be scheduling a time to present the trophy to the College administration. Brian Nickerson, dean of the School of Arts and Science said, "This is another testament to Adam Detsky's dedication and the student's continued hard work. This is tremendous. We wish them continued success as they move forward to the nationals."

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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
Office: (914) 637-2726
Fax: (914) 637-2711
dinsanalli@iona.edu