Among the various student-run organizations within the Colgate Speaking Union, Colgate University’s mock trial team is truly a hidden gem. In no other club on campus can participants argue a fictional legal case, play the roles of attorneys and witnesses or compete in the American Mock Trial Association’s annual tournaments.
The Colgate Mock Trial team has had an active presence on campus since the early 2000s, hosting invitationals during its first 20 years and traveling across the country for tournaments. Although COVID-19 diminished the club’s size and ability to compete, Colgate Mock Trial has slowly regained its footing, with many current underclassmen determined to take the team to new heights.
Junior Evelyn Sanchez had hoped to join the team during her first year at Colgate, but was disappointed to hear that Colgate Mock Trial would not officially compete that season. She decided to join this year after hearing that the team would be preparing for the American Mock Trial Association’s 2026 case. Sanchez expressed the challenges she anticipated in joining the club as an older member.
“Having [the club] be with all [first-years] that I did not know before this year — that was definitely something to adapt to, along with the teamwork part that came with that,” Sanchez said.
As the season progressed, her worries faded.
“The people who are here actually really care, and they’re really cool,” Sanchez said.
While others may have slipped on blazers for romantic dinners on Valentine’s Day weekend, Colgate Mock Trial suited up for the American Mock Trial Association Regional Tournament hosted at Utica University. The team went head-to-head against three schools — SUNY Buffalo, Utica University and Middlebury College — over the two-day competition.
The team began preparing for the tournament four months prior, drafting arguments for both the prosecution and defense for the competition case, “State of Midlands v. Charlie Martin.” The case centers around a criminal charge against Charlie Martin, a game show participant, for first-degree murder of his co-star, Rob Armstrong.
First-year Preston Selby played the role of a defense attorney for this year’s case. He has been an active participant in mock trial activities since middle school. Selby, along with other long-time mock trial members on the team, noted that the college-level mock trial experience proved to be very different from middle school and high school, with tournaments following a different format and case content being much lengthier. For Selby, however, preparing for the case was more than just memorizing facts and legal motions — he wanted to build a close knit community.
“I just really wanted the team to be more of a friend group,” Selby said. “The first three months of the year [is] where the actual work goes in. But to me, I think ideally we’d so prepared by the last two or three weeks that the meetings we have are pretty informal and we actually get to become friends with each other and grow the chemistry.”
Unlike Selby, first-year Anabel Montes Pakter had no idea what to expect coming into mock trial. As a pre-law student who had never engaged in mock trial, she looked forward to the experience. Montes Pakter played both a defense attorney and a prosecution witness in this year’s regionals.
“I was playing a detective, and I found that by just naturally being argumentative, it came off pretty well,” Montes Pakter said.
Even if you are not on a pre-law track, mock trial is undoubtedly a worthwhile activity. Whether you are an aspiring actor, engineer, medical professional or simply someone who enjoys learning new things, Colgate Mock Trial is looking for new members and encourages anyone to join the organization.
