HOLY CROSS MOCK TRIAL HISTORY

Holy Cross Mock Trial was born in the fall of 1997 when a group of students decided that an institution such as Holy Cross should have a mock trial program.  Led by seniors Keon Carpenter & Michelle Cadin and freshman Ryan Hayward, they worked with the head of the Pre-Law program, Scott Sandstrom, to get the team up and running.  Eventually two Holy Cross alumni, Ed McDermott and Cary Smith, who are both practicing attorneys in Worcester, volunteered to put in the tremendous amount of time and commitment needed.

As the years have gone by, the talent level has steadily increased.  1998 saw a great influx of talent with the additions of Caitlin Donahue, Pedro Figueroa, Elizabeth Crowley, and Meghan McNamara.  All of whom participated at the 1999 New England Regional, when Holy Cross brought home the Regional Championship with a 7-1 record earning them the right to compete at the National Intercollegiate Championship Tournament..

1999 brought with it another batch of talented mockers.  Namely Erin Hickey, Chris Hirl, Erin Tierney and Eric Tosi; all of whom have proved invaluable in recent years, bringing in a number of individual awards and acting as key components to the team's success.

As Holy Cross entered the new millenium, came with it another generation of talented students.  The current captain: John O'Donnell; as well as Cecilia Kelly, Jon Steffy and Matthew Pieraldi heralded in what would become a new standard of excellence for Holy Cross Mock Trial.  The combination of youth and experienced members led to a 6th place finish at the National Intercollegiate Mock Trial Tournement, where then captain Ryan Hayward was recognized as one of three All-American All-Star Attorneys.

The significant loss of Captain R.J. Hayward was compensated by the arrival of a great group of newcommers.  The additions of Heather Stanga, Ruth Demeter, Amanda De Vuono, Jared Hasten, Noah McPike, Rian Romeo, and Adam Zybulewski helped Holy Cross improve upon their previous accomplishments and finish 3rd at the National Intercollegiate Mock Trial Tournament.  Matthew Pieraldi continued the tradition of excellence by bringing home an All-American Attorney Award.  The team's performance solidified Holy Cross as a national powerhouse.

In 2004, Holy Cross had its strongest year ever capturing second, third and forth place at the Regional Tournament at St. Johns University. Two of the teams went on the National Tournament in Des Moines Iowa. This was a perfect ending for the seniors of the class of 2004 who had done so much to help advance mock trial at Holy Cross. The year also highlighted much of the young talent that Holy Cross would have in the future.

With the start of the 2005 season, Holy Cross had a new captain Liz Letak '06 who would lead a young team. With a small senior class and many of the strongest team members abroad this was a good year for many of the teams younger talents. Both the class of 2007 and 2008 played prominent roles in sending a team to the National Tournament in Kentucky.

In the years to come Holy Cross hopes to continue their tradition of excellence by bringing in new talent year after year.  Given the great capabilities of the student body at Holy Cross and the excellent coaching, Holy Cross Mock Trial will continue to be a force to be reckoned with.