It is that time of year again: the famous Seattle Prep Mock Trial team competed again at the national competition from May 2-5 in Wilmington, Delaware, bringing home 16th place overall.
After earning themselves a first-place victory in this year’s state championship, they qualified to advance to the national championships. Soon after their first-place state trophy arrived, so did their case for nationals.
Captain Zoë Pomeroy ’24 said this was the “shortest period for preparation before the national competition that the team has ever had.” The team was given only three to four weeks to prepare the new case prior to their departure.
The varsity team met every week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Their practices go for about 2 to 3 hours, and much work is done outside of the practice as well. During the practices the team, “reads the case, develops theories, and writes all of the examinations and speeches,” Pomeroy said.
“About every lunch I have these next two weeks I will be meeting with Mr. McCarthy and Ms. Freeman to work on Mock Trial,” said Mika Wellington ’25 in the week leading up to the competition.
While most of their trip will be spent in the court room, there is one event that Pomeroy shared that happens at every national tournament. “It is called the team pin swap. Every representative state team brings pins that represent their state,” Pomeroy said. The pin swap is one of the few things that the team has time for when they are not on trial.
“The pin swap is a great way for all the teams to meet each other and learn more about who they will be competing against in the trials,” Pomeroy said.
Pomeroy’s favorite part of Mock Trial is “the actual trial because we work so hard and put so many hours into developing a very strong case. Getting to execute it with a team and an opposing side that we have never heard of and having to pivot, adapt, and put on a really good case is what I enjoy the most.”
After graduation, Pomeroy plans to dual enroll at Columbia University and Trinity College Dublin, where she will study Middle Eastern / European Studies and Political Science. When asked to reflect upon how Mock Trial will benefit her beyond her time at Prep, Pomeroy said, “the most important skills I have learned are public speaking and analytical/critical thinking.”
Pomeroy is not following a direct pre-law track, but foresees herself attending law school because she said, “mock trial revealed the passion that I have for law, and I can’t see myself doing anything other than that in the long run.”
Mock trial does not end at Prep. Many colleges and universities offer competitive mock trial teams, and both Pomeroy and Wellington see their future selves participating.
Finally, Pomeroy shared her experience as a captain and leader for the prestigious program at Prep. Pomeroy said, “I feel a greater responsibility for how the entire team is functioning; I want to ensure everyone is operating at the top of their game, working well together, and fostering a strong team culture and community.”
In Delaware the team went 2 and 2 and competed in two practice scrimmages in the two days before the competition begins. “Our two losses were against Florida and New Hampshire, both highly competitive teams that placed in the top five,” said Wellington.
That concludes the season for Seattle Prep’s beloved Mock Trial Team. Now, the team will hibernate over the summer and prepare for another series of competitions in the coming season.
