Last weekend, Oct. 26-28, the Missouri Southern mock trial team traveled to St. Louis University to compete in the eighth annual Billiken Barrister Tournament.

The previous weekend, the team competed at a tournament at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville.

In both tournaments, the team competed in four rounds arguing the case of Allen vs. Neptune Underwater Expeditions.

The fictional case was between a woman, who became widowed after a diving accident, and a scuba company. In two rounds the team represented the plaintiff, in the other two rounds the team played the defense.

“You don’t know until you go into the Captain’s meeting, sometimes 20 minutes before the round, which side you’re going to be doing,” said Coach JoAnna Derfelt.

In each round there are two judges, usually local lawyers or law students. At the end of the enactment, the judges each cast a ballot meaning a potential of eight points at the end of the tournament.

The team walked away from Northwest 4-4. They left St. Louis 5-3. The losing ballots in St. Louis were by a 3 point or less margin, and they brought home the team award for MSSU for the first time.

Between the two tournaments, three students won individual awards. At Northwest, Johnathan Saunders and Jessica Andrews, senior political science majors, won top attorneys. In St. Louis, Mary Duncan, sophomore communications major and staff writer for The Chart, received two individual awards for her performances as the widow on plaintiff and as the CEO on defense.

The students competed against some big name schools in each tournament.

“When we were at Northwest, probably the biggest school there was KU. And I think for the students to see that Missouri Southern students can compete with places like Notre Dame and Ole Miss made them realize just how very good they were,” said Derfelt.

Saunders agrees. “Coming together as a brand new team and realizing that we can take on bigger and more established teams and win [was a highlight].”

He attributes his team’s greatest strengths to its diversity. “We have people from all walks of life and different majors. Teams that have a well rounded group tend to fare a little better,” Saunders said.

The team has the Mid-Missouri Tournament in Colombia before preparing for Regionals.

“I’m really excited to go to Regionals with this team…being this strong this early, I think they have a good chance,” Derfelt said.

“This is only our third year as a mock trial team,” Saunders said. “Every single tournament we have been to in that time, we have brought home at least one individual award. We have never not brought home something. After Christmas we will be kicking it into high gear.”