The UMass Amherst Mock Trial team went undefeated to place 2^nd at the Northeast Regional Mock Trial Competition at Clark University in Worcester on February 26 and 27. They will advance to the regional championship on March 11-13 in White Plains, NY. This marks the first time in program history that UMass has advanced to the championship round.

Defense team members Holly Galvin, Stacey Hronowksi and Adam Maidman played key roles in wins against the University of Vermont and Clark University, while the plaintiff bench, comprised of Joseph Mendes, Alysson Gray and Steve Darcy, put up strong performances to beat Syracuse and Columbia University, two of the top schools in the intercollegiate mock trial circuit.

UMass team members were also recognized with two individual awards: Danny Bernard received a Top Witness Award for his portrayal of two expert toxicologists, and Joseph Mendes received a Top Attorney Award for his performances during the plaintiff’s case-in-chief.

The regional competition marked the third time this year that the team has placed in the top five in competition, and it was the only time in program history that the team has gone undefeated at a tournament. Since the commencement of the 2010-2011 season in September, UMass has won 4 team trophies and numerous attorney and witness awards for individual performances.

A second UMass team finished with a 4-4 record at the regional tournament, just barely missing a spot to advance to the championship.

UMass expects to face Harvard, Columbia, Syracuse, Yale, Princeton, Brown and NYU in White Plains. If UMass places in the top 6 there, they will advance to the National Championship in Des Moines, Iowa April 15-17.