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After winning back-to-back state championships, the Maur Hill mock trial team placed 28 out of 48 in the national tournament, and senior Anthony Wurtz was named a top 10 attorney in the nation.

Mock trial is a high school competition in which students act as attorney’s to try a simulated civil or criminal case. They are awarded points based on their arguments, knowledge of the case, and oration.

The program is coached by two Benedictine College students, senior Thomas Doyle and junior Jefferey Schremer. Former Atchison County Judge Martin Asher supports the group with practical legal advice and guidance.

“A good portion of our team’s success is owed to two Benedictine College students, Thomas Doyle and Jeff Schremmer, who volunteer to work with our students and bring the best out of them,” Maur-Hill president David Trotter said.

In the program’s first season,  the varsity team won state. This year, in addition to the varsity team’s first-place finish at state, the JV team took third place.

The varsity team maintained its momentum by securing the 28th position out of 48 in the national mock trial tournament, which took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 2–6. The team’s 28th place tied for the best finish a Kansas team has had at the national competition.

‘We are incredibly proud of the way the team performed, with the varsity winning first and our varsity team placing third in the varsity meet. It is incredibly impressive,” said assistant coach Jefferey Schremmer. “For most of our students, it was their first year, and they really stepped up to put in a lot of work and a lot of time trying to learn the material and create a culture of winning.”

Senior Anthony Wurtz’s performance at the national tournament led to his recognition as a top-10 mock trial attorney, in addition to the team’s victory. This award and the success of the program demonstrated the profound impact the program has had on the students.

“The mock trial program is an outstanding vehicle for our students to showcase the formation they receive at Maur Hill-Mount Academy,” Trotter said. “These young leaders, because of their experience in mock Trial, are now aspiring to go to law school and serve our church as vibrant Catholic witnesses.”

With the state win and a strong performance at nationals, the mock trial team is excited to compete next year with their eyes set on breaking the Kansas record.

“When talking to the other head coaches at the national competition, they all talked about the importance of building upon success,” Doyle said. “They were all blown away that this was only our second year of having a mock trial program. Being able to have that level of success with Anthony’s award and our varsity and varsity teams both placing at state will really help move our program forward.