Students at Utah Tech University are ready to take on competition in the courtroom through the new Utah Tech Mock Trial Team.
The mock trial team was created this fall semester by Susan Hunt, instructor of criminal justice, to provide students with the skills needed to succeed in the courtroom. After interviews, 10 students were selected to participate on the team for the year.
“The biggest goal is that they come out of this with some, not necessarily trial skills, although that’s what they’re doing, but they come out of it with these skills that I think are essential for them in the workplace, regardless of whether they go to law school or not,” Hunt said.
Some of these skills include teamwork, critical thinking and public speaking. Along with these skills, the team has a personable goal of learning and expanding their knowledge of court procedure. Team captain Jax Barton, a senior criminal justice major from St. George, said part of the goal is fostering a community and opportunities for students in the criminal justice field.
“It’s been big for me, as I’m going to law school, to participate in something that kind of gets me into what I’m headed into and what to expect,” Barton said. “For students, not just interested in law school but in the criminal justice field as a whole, it’s an opportunity to participate and be a part of something and learn court procedure and public speaking.”
The team competed in their first competition Nov. 8 and 9 at the Cactus Classic Invitational in Tucson, Arizona. The tournament was split into two days, with two rounds each day.
Karsyn Collins, a junior criminal justice major from Lumberton, Texas, is one of the members of the team and won the “Outstanding Witness Award” at the invitational by playing a witness in the case. This was done by acting like a social media influencer who was one of the witnesses for the trial.
“She put in so much time to know how to speak like the character, how to answer like the character, how to stick to her affidavit, that award was well earned with many, many hours of work,” team captain Kennadee Law, a senior criminal justice major from Bluffdale, said.
In addition to the award, the team was able to gain experience and knowledge about what to expect from future competitions. Barton said the competitions were very tightly kept with strict guidelines, which is something they learned to adapt to during the two days.
With the experience came the friendships amongst the team. Collins said the whole team is like a huge friend group, and the memories gained from the trip are something she’ll have forever. Part of this was creating friendships that go beyond the classroom.
“When you’re in a classroom, the relationship you have with your peers is like an association, you know a little bit about them, but you don’t get to know the nitty gritty,” Law said. “In this sense, we got to talk about real personal life, and it was so fun to be able to laugh and have someone close in an actual friendship.”
However, a challenge the team is currently facing is funding to be able to participate in more competitions. Collins also said if the team was able to receive more funding, then they would be able to support having a larger team than 10 members.
With the funding issue, the next projected competition for the team will be the regional tournament in the spring. To prepare for the regional tournament, the team is currently accepting donations in hope of being able to participate in more competitions. A lot of their support has come from their coach Hunt.
“Kudos to Susan for everything she’s done and Rob, her husband,” Law said. “They’ve put in so many hours for this team, and it goes beyond what the majority of professors are willing to do.”
In the meantime, the Utah Tech Mock Trial Team is competing through free scrimmages and multiple practices on campus to ensure they are fully prepared for regionals. Hunt said she has seen their confidence rise as they continue practicing complicated problem-solving skills while creating new strategies in the courtroom.
“[They] are understanding how satisfying it is to work with a team when everybody’s working so hard, and then you’re proud of what you accomplish,” Hunt said. “It’s something that not everybody gets to experience in their lifetime, and it’s really rewarding.”
For any interested students, tryouts for next year’s team will occur during the spring semester. The mock trial team encourages anyone to try out despite their major because of the experiences and skills they could gain by being a member.
Through the challenges of being a first-year team, the Utah Tech Mock Trial Team is blazing a new path in the courtroom for criminal justice majors at Utah Tech. With the support of their coach, the team is ready to take on their competition, starting at the regional tournament.
