Students launch Centre’s first mock trial team, score win at regional competition

Aidan Taylor, a sophomore double major in Politics and History, was already busy as a cross-country and track athlete when his father encouraged him to try another campus activity.

That suggestion sparked a chain reaction, bringing a new student-led organization to campus.

“I didn’t really want to join a different club,” Taylor said. “So, I thought, I’ll just make one.”

When he thought about what to create, he realized Centre, a college with a long history of alumni in the legal field, didn’t have a mock trial team.

“I had experience with mock trial in high school and enjoyed the competitive environment that demanded careful preparation,” Taylor said.

To get ready for the competition, Taylor looked to his classmate and other experienced students to make up the team. Recruiting sophomore Kaylee Jones, a Neuroscience major on the pre-med track, felt like a natural choice. Joining the team meant returning to something she already knew well.

“I’ve done mock trial for six years,” she said. “Two years in middle school and all four years in high school. “It was nice to return to mock trial at a college level. I love the competitive aspect, but it’s also fun playing a witness who can get under people’s skin and make them angry,” she laughed.

The new student-led group held its first practices and traveled to its inaugural competition earlier this semester.

For the competition, students argued a fictional court case, presenting opening statements, questioning witnesses and delivering closing arguments before a judge. Preparing the case required weeks of reading witness statements, writing questions and practicing courtroom procedure.

“We didn’t truly know what to expect in terms of preparation,” said Taylor. “None of us had ever been or experienced this at a collegiate level. During CentreTerm, we met daily for about an hour and a half to prep and refine our arguments.”

Their preparation led them to their first competition in Knoxville, Tennessee, where the team faced four rounds of courtroom-style competition against more established programs.

In each round, teams argued both sides of the case, both prosecution and defense, adjusting their strategy as they went. While the Centre team was newer and less experienced than many competitors, they quickly learned that confidence and adaptability could go a long way.

“Witnesses have to know their characters really well, and lawyers have to know how to question them and challenge the other side,” said Jones. “You can be very prepared, but if you’re not responsive in the moment, that can hurt you. We were pretty good at thinking on the fly.”

By the end of the tournament, Centre had won one of its four rounds — a strong start for a brand-new team taking on seasoned competitors.

The experience also gave the group ideas for growing the program. Next year, they hope to recruit more members, schedule scrimmages with other universities and eventually compete in invitational tournaments.

For sophomore Roscoe Dalton, vice president of the mock trial team, the highlight has been creating connections across campus and bringing together students with different interests.

“It’s a really broad group of people,” he said. “I’ve gotten to meet and work with people I probably wouldn’t have talked to otherwise.”

For Taylor and his teammates, the first season was less about wins and losses and more about building something from the ground up.

“There’s definitely a lot we still need to learn,” Taylor said. “But we have a good foundation. I think we can grow it into something really strong at Centre.”