On March 19, the Abraham Lincoln mock trial team was presented with an intense regional competition hosted at Iowa Western. Despite delivering strong performances, the team fell just short of advancing to the state competition. The team also brought home a notable amount of individual attorney and witness awards.
The mock trial program at AL works to provide students with the opportunity to act as attorneys and witnesses in a simulated trial. They are given a packet with witness statements, exhibits, and more in December and have until mid-March to create a case they will present in front of judges against other teams.
Going into their first round, the team was a little nervous. This was everyone’s first time competing, with no returning members since they last competed in 2023.
“I’m very nervous, but very confident in our abilities,” Maria Perez (’27) said on the trial day. “Our team just really needs to be more confident… we’re all very capable, and we did very well in our practices.
In Round 1, the team averaged a strong score of 116, followed by 109.5 points in Round 2. Several team members received special recognition for their performances. Cooper Haddix (’25), Hunter Jones (‘27), and Nawal Mbura (’26) received Outstanding Attorney or Witness awards, with Maddy Kuhn-Colburn (‘27), Nora Stott (’26), and Maria Perez (’27) getting Honorable Mentions.
Reflecting on the day, Coach Pregon commented, “Everybody did as well as I anticipated…we had two really competitive rounds and received very positive comments from the judges.” He praised the team’s overall performance, particularly since many were first-time competitors. “I was pleased to see how far everybody had come in this short season.” Pregon also acknowledged areas for improvement in the future, noting, “Next season, procedural things like objections and evidence handling will need more focus to compete at the state level.”
The mock trial team has a good position to improve on this year’s success. With most of its members expected to return, there is great hope for next year’s season.
“Everybody felt the experience was positive,” said Coach Pregon, who is enthusiastic about further developing the program. “I’m always interested in expanding the number of people involved,” he added, hoping to have two teams.
While this season did not result in a spot at state, the mock trial team’s enthusiasm, development, and promise indicate a bright future. The confidence and skills they gained this year will drive them to even more significant accomplishments next season.
