October 25, 2009 - The Iona College Mock Trial Team competed against sixteen other teams in their first invitational tournament of the year, at Penn State University in State College, PA.  The team tied for first place, and after a tie-breaker round finished in third. In first place was Columbia University, and in second was Penn State University. "To finish in a tie for first with the likes of Columbia and Penn State and having faced both of those teams during the competition truly speaks to how far Iona's mock trial program has come," said Mock Trial coach Adam Detsky.

In addition to finishing in third place overall in the competition, two students from the team were individually recognized among the top eight attorneys in the competition. The two students were: Senior Nadia Niazi, and Junior Amy Cassidy. Upcoming events for the team include a scrimmage with teams from NYU on November 7th, and on the weekend of November 13th the team will be competing at U. Penn for their second four-round tournament of the season. "This is an impressive start for our Mock Trial team. Initially tying for first place demonstrates the tenacity and drive that is necessary to compete at this level. We look forward to their continued success," said Dr. Brian Nickerson, Dean of Arts and Science.

This year the Iona College Mock Trial Team consists of eleven students, ranging from freshmen to seniors. The 2009-2010 team members are Aislinn Appleby '13, Kristin Badalamenti '11, Zach Benoit '13, Amy Cassidy '11 - Team Co-Captain, Amanda Clancy '10, Max Gaston '10, Bryan Hart '10, Deanna Horton '12, Nadia Niazi  '10, Brittni Uhl '11 - Team Co-Captain, Sheena Wagaman '12  The team is led by head coach Adam Detsky, Esq. and assistant coaches Allyson Crespo, Ashley Reid, and Amanda DeRosa. In addition Long Island attorney Michael Gelfand, Esq. is also lending his expertise to this year's team.

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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