Posted by Emily Hart on 2011-04-01

Samford University was represented by a team at the American Mock Trial Association National Tournament March 25-27 at Furman University, Greenville, S.C.

Aaron Parks, Ryan Reed, Lacy Sisk, Taylor White, Lauren Williams, Amanda Gargus and Evan McCloskey made up the team, which competed against 23 of the top teams, including powerhouses such as Harvard, Furman and Duke universities and the University of Georgia.

 Team member Aaron Parks said, “We competed against an extremely tough schedule, including Case Western Reserve University, with whom we 'split,' which is essentially a tie. Case Western went on to secure a bid to the next round, making us very proud to have tied with a team that is among the top 48 in the country. We also faced Duke and Furman and were competitive in both rounds, but ultimately came up short.”

Parks said because the team advanced so far “our program gained national recognition and credibility, which should open up more opportunities in the future as far as tournaments are concerned.”

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.