Moot Court wins top ranking at Texas Wesleyan tourney
By: Jill Quarles
Issue date: 4/23/07 Section: News
The SFA Moot Court team won top rankings at the Texas Wesleyan School of Law Moot Court Tournament held Friday and Saturday.
The team pairing of Rachel Nichols, Henderson senior, and LaToya Harridon, Kingston Jamaica junior, defeated a University of Dallas team in the final round of competition, allowing SFA to close out the year's final tournament and defend its title for the top team in the Southwest Region.
Harridon also received first place speaking awards for the tournament and the year. Nichols received the second place award for the tournament, and fifth for the year. SFA's Ashley Pulliam, McKinney junior was named eighth place speaker in the region, and Theo Brown, Kingston, Jamaica sophomore who was paired with a competitor from another school advanced to the finals. No team from another university won a first place award.
"Winning a moot court competition is hard," Hans Hacker, team coach and assistant professor of political science, said. "Our students spent long hours preparing, and it is great to go out with a win, but this was complete domination."
"I wasn't surprised, because I knew what we were capable of," he added. "I was extremely pleased with the outcome."
Hacker also said he gives much credit to two other SFA teams that essentially eliminated the previously first-ranked team from the competition.
According to Hacker, the pairings of Jessica Poarch, Needville senior and Pulliam and Marshay Howard, Misquite junior and Roxanne Linton, Houston senior "brought their A game" when competing against the UNT team in preliminary rounds of competition.
"I'm very proud of all our teams," Hacker said. "They conducted themselves like professionals throughout, and were very gracious winners."
"We entered the tournament hoping to successfully defend our title as top team in the state of Texas. We accomplished so much more."
Nichols has been a member of the team for two years, and this tournament was both her only first-place win and only top ten speaking award.
The team pairing of Rachel Nichols, Henderson senior, and LaToya Harridon, Kingston Jamaica junior, defeated a University of Dallas team in the final round of competition, allowing SFA to close out the year's final tournament and defend its title for the top team in the Southwest Region.
Harridon also received first place speaking awards for the tournament and the year. Nichols received the second place award for the tournament, and fifth for the year. SFA's Ashley Pulliam, McKinney junior was named eighth place speaker in the region, and Theo Brown, Kingston, Jamaica sophomore who was paired with a competitor from another school advanced to the finals. No team from another university won a first place award.
"Winning a moot court competition is hard," Hans Hacker, team coach and assistant professor of political science, said. "Our students spent long hours preparing, and it is great to go out with a win, but this was complete domination."
"I wasn't surprised, because I knew what we were capable of," he added. "I was extremely pleased with the outcome."
Hacker also said he gives much credit to two other SFA teams that essentially eliminated the previously first-ranked team from the competition.
According to Hacker, the pairings of Jessica Poarch, Needville senior and Pulliam and Marshay Howard, Misquite junior and Roxanne Linton, Houston senior "brought their A game" when competing against the UNT team in preliminary rounds of competition.
"I'm very proud of all our teams," Hacker said. "They conducted themselves like professionals throughout, and were very gracious winners."
"We entered the tournament hoping to successfully defend our title as top team in the state of Texas. We accomplished so much more."
Nichols has been a member of the team for two years, and this tournament was both her only first-place win and only top ten speaking award.
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