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USC Mock Trial Team Sweeps Regional Competition

Team to advance to national competition in Florida in April
ByPeter M. Warren February 1, 2007

Students from USC’s Mock Trial Team recently won first, second, third and fifth places and were named tournament champions at the American Mock Trial Association’s Great Western Regional Tournament held Feb. 17–18 in Los Angeles at USC.

The USC team in recent years has been among the top performers in the Western Region and finished the 2006 season with an overall national ranking of fourth out of 564 teams.

The sweep of the top places at the regional tournament earned USC two bids to the national finals and enables members to skip past two national qualifying events and advance directly to the AMTA National Championship Tournament, which takes place in St. Petersburg, Florida, April 13–15.

Olu Orange serves as the team’s head coach. Orange, an adjunct professor of political science at USC College, is a practicing criminal and civil rights attorney in West Los Angeles.

USC Mock Trial Team members who participated in the competition — including class, major and individual honors from the regional tournament — are (in alphabetical order):

  • Ashley Anderson, junior, business administration;
  • Chris Bloom, junior, neuroscience;
  • Tom Burke, junior, neuroscience;
  • Marina Braverman, sophomore, communication, “All-Regional Witness”;
  • Alex Clendennen, freshman, business administration;
  • Andrea Contreras, junior, neuroscience;
  • Mercedes Cook, sophomore, psychology;
  • Gina Davidson, junior, psychology;
  • Sharisse Deal, junior, communication;
  • E.J. Dieckman, senior, broadcast journalism;
  • Meredith Elkins, freshman, public relations;
  • Tashiya Gunesekera, sophomore, English;
  • Jeffrey Gurrola, sophomore, political science, “All-Regional Attorney”;
  • Sarah Holl, senior, political science, “All-Regional Attorney”;
  • Vassi Iliadis, freshman, comparative literature;
  • Akhi Johnson, junior, “All-Regional Attorney” and “All-Regional Witness”;
  • David Kass, junior, communication;
  • Kilie Latendresse, senior, philosophy;
  • Michael Maloney, junior, cinematic arts, “All-Regional Witness”;
  • Lilyanne Ohanesian, senior, political science;
  • Christina Paquette, sophomore, English;
  • Faye Paul, senior, philosophy;
  • Jaymes Sanford, senior, international relations;
  • Mane Sardaryan, sophomore, philosophy;
  • Jeffrey Skinner, sophomore, international relations, “All-Regional Witness”;
  • MiRi Song, sophomore, philosophy.
  • Katherine Tong, senior, political science.
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