FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 23, 1999 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 DRAKE MOCK TRIAL TEAMS SWEEP REGIONAL CONTEST Drake University's two mock trial teams placed first and second in the Regional Mock Trial Tournament held recently at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. Both teams will advance to the National Mock Trial Tournament, which will take place in Des Moines April 14 through April 16. Teams from 13 colleges and universities participated in the regional contest for undergraduate students on Feb. 19 and 20. A team from the University of Kansas team took third place. In mock trials, teams present both sides of a hypothetical case, once as the prosecutor and once as the defense. Local lawyers serve as judges and award points to each team based not on which side wins the argument, but on each team's poise, familiarity with courtroom procedure, rules of evidence and ability to ask questions in the proper form. This year's case involved a homicide. One student on Drake's first-place team received a Best Attorney award at the regional competition. He is Matthew Eslick, a junior from Dayton, Iowa. Other members of the first-place team are Megan Allison, a junior from Madrid, Iowa; Marissa Ellsworth, a sophomore from Sheldon, Iowa; Jesse Johnston, a first-year student from Long Grove, Iowa; Kyle Kaiser, a senior from Red Oak, Iowa; Kendra Laffe, a sophomore from Charles City, Iowa; and Cara Stein, a first-year student from Bayside, Wis. Before participating in the national competition, both Drake teams will compete in a three-day invitational tournament in Milwaukee that starts March 17. "We'll be going up against tough teams in Milwaukee," Stein said. "It will be good competition for us and help us prepare for the nationals." Stein also said Drake's teams would welcome sponsorships from law firms and alumni to help defray the costs of preparing for and competing in the upcoming tournaments. Three individual awards went to members of Drake's second-place team in the regional competition. Jennifer Reiger, a junior from Wheaton, Ill., and Sara Drake, a junior from Lockport, Ill., each received a Best Attorney award. Nate Reiske, a first-year student from Pewaukee, Wis., earned a Best Witness award. Other members of the second-place team are Katie Conway, a junior from Shoreview, Minn.; Craig Edwards, a first-year student from Clive; Scott Horrigan, a junior from West Des Moines; Zachary Nunn, a sophomore from Des Moines; and Shelby Queen, a junior from Castroville, Texas. Drake's winning teams were coached by William Schultz, a first-year law student at Drake and a resident of Fergus Falls, Minn. He competed in mock trial tournaments for four years as an undergraduate student at Drake. "I have high expectations for both Drake teams," Schultz said. "The invitational tournament in Milwaukee will pit us against 10 or 12 teams that are the 'best of the best.' Seeing and competing against such high-level teams should propel Drake into the nationals with a good chance of finishing in the top 10."