Baylor Undergraduate Moot Court Wins Regional Championship
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WACO, Texas (Nov. 28, 2017) – Baylor University’s Undergraduate Moot Court has just finished the 2017 season and has won its first regional championship in seven years.
Over the past six weeks, 10 students have participated in four tournaments within the state of Texas, including two regional tournaments. These regional matches give teams the opportunity to earn bids to compete in the national competition in January 2018. Three of Baylor’s five teams have earned bids to compete.
“All in all I am incredibly proud of the work and practice we have put in over the course of the semester and am excited for the national competition in January,” said Andrew Pollard, a junior political science major from Pearland, Texas.
In each of this season’s four tournaments, a different Baylor team has advanced to the tournament's final round. Additionally, seven Baylor students were recognized as top tournament speakers.
“Although tournament accomplishments are not the best measure of the pedagogical value of moot court, they do reflect the hard work and dedication of these students,” said Steve Block, Ph.D., director of the Undergraduate Moot Court program and lecturer of political science. “This year the Moot Court program has had extraordinary success in competition.”
On Nov. 10, four of the Baylor teams competed in the South Central Regional Tournament at the Texas Tech School of Law in Lubbock. Of the 36 teams hosted, two of Baylor's teams advanced to the second day of competition. Joshua Upham (senior, University Scholars) and Hannah Vecseri (senior, University Scholars) were named tournament champions, and Andrew Pollard and Thatcher Townson (junior, Baylor Business Fellows) advanced to quarterfinals.
In addition, two Baylor competitors – Jessica Babb (senior, Journalism) and Bailey VanNatta (junior, History) – were recognized as Top 20 speakers at the tournament.
"Moot Court has introduced me to a world that I would not have been able to access otherwise,” said VanNatta. “Dr. Block's excellent teaching and coaching skills have helped me enhance my reading, writing and argument skills. I had no prior public speaking experience before Moot Court, but Dr. Block showed me that I could be a successful arguer and team member despite my lack of experience."
For more information about Baylor’s Undergraduate Moot Court, visit the Political Science website.
by Brooke Battersby, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
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