JS
Janina Spencer
  • Political Science (concentration in Political Thought/Theory)
  • Class of 2017
  • Chicago, IL

Janina Spencer helps Carthage Mock Trial finish incredible season

2016 May 12

Janina Spencer and the Carthage Mock Trial team had one goal for the 2015-2016 season: Just make it to the Opening Round Championship Series. "ORCS" for short, it's the second round of the American Mock Trial Association's annual national tournament. No Carthage team has ever made it any further than that.

So when this year's team got to ORCS, that was enough for them. They figured there was no way they'd move on to the next round.

"We were joking around and saying if we came into the last day of ORCS without a win, we should switch up the roles completely to have some fun," said team captain Brittney Frederick '17, a criminal justice major from Paoli, Pennsylvania. "We really didn't think we were going to do all that well."

That notion lasted about five seconds.

"What are you talking about? You guys have as much talent as anyone here! You just have to play with confidence." Those incredulous words came from Michael Phegley, associate professor of management and director of Carthage's mock trial program.

"I couldn't believe what they were saying," he remembers. "I kept telling them they just have to keep perfecting their case, and that they'd blow this opportunity if they didn't get over the hump."

Luckily they got over the hump at just the right time, because the draw for the March 11-13 event in Geneva, Illinois, did them no favors.

In the first round, Carthage defeated the University of Notre Dame, which began the season ranked No. 43 in the country. It then drew Xavier University, ranked No. 16, in the second round and came away with a split.

At that point, the team was feeling confident. Then Carthage saw its next opponent: the No. 4 team in the country, Miami University.

"Before they went out there, I just told them to play their game and that they would be OK," said Prof. Phegley. "I knew they could win."

Walking down the hallway afterward, Prof. Phegley saw two members of the Miami team crying. He went straight to the posted judges' ballot.

"I was really hoping that they weren't crying because of something else, but once I got to the ballot I knew it was because we beat them," he said.

Carthage had sprung the upset and finished second in the 24-team tournament. It was on to the 48-team national championship April 15-17 in Greenville, South Carolina, for the first time in the program's 10-year history.

"Making it to the national championship is a huge accomplishment," Prof. Phegley said. "To compare it to basketball, making it to the regional tournament is like making it to the 64-team NCAA Tournament, making it to ORCS is like reaching the Sweet 16, and advancing to National Championship Tournament is like making it to the Final Four."

The path to nationals wasn't easy. Last year the best showing Carthage had all year was a 4-4 record. This year, with the two returning captains, Brittney and Hailey McClung '16, a 4-4 result was its worst all year.

The team entered the year ranked No. 273 in the country and finished 43rd. That placed Carthage in the top 6 percent of all collegiate mock trial teams.

What was the difference? A renewed sense of responsibility among the team members and putting the time in to be the best they could be.

"A lot of people don't think about it, but mock trial is at least a six-month commitment that can balloon up to eight months if you make it as far as we did this year," remarked Prof. Phegley.

His pep talk draws from the wisdom of a legendary college football coach.

"Every year, I remind the team of my favorite Bear Bryant quote: 'It's not the will to win that matters - everyone has that, it's the will to prepare to win that matters,'" Prof. Phegley said. "To spend so much time with your teammates, you kind of have to like them. A lot of very talented teams go nowhere when teammates can't rely on each other to know everything they need to know, and when they don't push each other to put in more work.

Working during weekends, breaks, J-Term, in addition to the weekly class meetings and individual studying was the norm before nationals. After they learned they were going to nationals, the team kicked in to a new gear.

"The week before nationals, we put in about 25 hours of practice time," Brittney said. "We got the case during spring break, and then it became a kind of a sprint to the finish line. Balancing this all with class and other responsibilities was definitely different from how we operated last year."

Peter Dziewiontkoski '16, a mathematics major from Milwaukee in Carthage's dual-degree engineering program, has no interest in a law career. He joined mock trial to brush up on public speaking and civil debate.

"You have to be totally immersed in a case and really dive into the nuts and bolts," he said. "What we may think a case is about could be entirely different from what another team thinks about a case, and you have to work through those contrasts. It's like playing 10 games of chess all at the same time."

Knowing witness affidavits inside and out, examining every possible legal angle to take on a case, and knowing the process of a courtroom are all skills that Prof. Phegley's knows from experience-he's still a practicing attorney with Phegley & Laufenberg, a practice that concentrates on family, criminal, labor and employment law-and are necessary for succeeding in mock trial. Wynne Laufenberg has been the assistant mock trial coach since the program's inception.

But what about acting?

Every year, theatre professor Herschel Kruger works with the team to help students playing witnesses get into character. He also accompanied the team to South Carolina.

"Mock trial and law in general are more than just about the process. In a jury trial you need to win over the jury, and that's a performance in its own right," said Sara Butler '17, a history and English major from Rockton, Illinois. "What you present matters, but how you present it also matters."

Prof. Kruger's guidance helped DaQuawn Bruce '17 win an All-American witness award at nationals. Previously, DaQuawn won ORCS and regional witness awards.

Prof. Phegley pointed out those skills translate to actual courtrooms.

"There are many, many times when you don't believe what you are arguing, but you have to represent your client," Prof. Phegley said. "Some people just have the ability to put themselves in the situation and play it off. DaQuawn also does not have any inhibitions, which lends itself to the acting."

While Yale University won the national tournament, the Carthage team members could easily hold their heads high.

"At nationals, it didn't matter that other teams thought we were little Carthage from no one knows where," Peter said. "We went out there, did the best we could, and I'm proud of that," he said. "I'm excited to leave Carthage after this experience."