USN Mock Trial team earns 2nd Place at State Tournament
After winning one of the most competitive mock trial districts in the country, USN headed to the State Tournament and turned in another strong performance.
By Wilson Hubbell, Mock Trial Faculty Advisor
Back
After a set of 4 tough rounds at the Historic Downtown Courthouse, USN finished in the top 2 at this year's State Mock Trial Tournament.
They faced a formidable Agathos team that had just taken down MBA in the 4th round in a final to decide the State Champions. Interestingly, we had just faced Agathos in the 3rd round that morning, and based on all available evidence, we had lost it. But narrowly, because we must have taken one of the three ballots to have finished in 2nd place after 4 rounds.
The team would also like to thank USN parents Ben Raybin ’03 and Hugh Ammerman for their help in getting the team ready for the competition.
They faced a formidable Agathos team that had just taken down MBA in the 4th round in a final to decide the State Champions. Interestingly, we had just faced Agathos in the 3rd round that morning, and based on all available evidence, we had lost it. But narrowly, because we must have taken one of the three ballots to have finished in 2nd place after 4 rounds.
So then everything is a clean slate. It was winner-take-all in the final round against Agathos. Instead of 3 scoring judges, there is a full jury of 12, and the presiding judge was Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sarah Campbell. The team then flips a coin to see who plays what side (prosecution or defense) they'll argue. Agathos won the coin toss and decided to run the exact same sides we ran that morning. Oof. We are the prosecution, and based on the evidence, this is really an unwinnable case.
But in the end, we lost not only the case but also the competition to an absolutely incredible Agathos team. I will not be surprised if they win Nationals this year. And thus it is 2nd place for us.
What an amazing USN Mock Trial team we had this year!
Alice Littlehale ’26 won MVP for the team, and Binyam Dunne ’26 was awarded #1 Best Advocate for the Defense in the entire tournament (they award 3 of these awards, but they are ordered 3, 2, and 1....and Binyam was #1). It is hard to explain what an accomplishment it is to earn a #1 Best Attorney award at the State Tournament.
There is no Nationals for us, but there is always next year. But certainly, no one would ever say that this was a building year.
The mighty 2026 State Mock Trial Team:
Binyam Dunne ’26
Alice Littlehale ’26
Isaac Fulton ’26
Greta Molvig ’28
Evan Giles ’26
Caroline Stinner ’27
Bryce Cochran ’26
Claire Smallman ’28
Alice Littlehale ’26
Isaac Fulton ’26
Greta Molvig ’28
Evan Giles ’26
Caroline Stinner ’27
Bryce Cochran ’26
Claire Smallman ’28
School News
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Athletics News
List of 3 news stories.
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HS athletics recaps for September 11-17
Tiger golfers have officially qualified for the region tournament, and our other teams are not far behind. Volleyball sits near the top of the district, finishing up regular season play next week with Senior Night. Girls soccer continues to hold first place in the district after another 9-0 win, and our cross country runners are chasing after some school records. To round it all out, our mountain bike team traveled to Oakfield to continue to improve on their times for the season. There’s plenty more where that came from- so be sure to come out to the River Campus, Sperling Gym, or out on the road to cheer on our Tigers before their seasons end.Read More -
MS athletics recaps for September 11-17
Middle School volleyball and tennis teams are nearing the final games of their seasons, with the competition heating up while the Tigers play to determine their HVAC rankings. Cross country was finally able to race at the River Campus despite the heat, and our mountain biking team traveled to Oakfield, Tennessee, for a high-temperature race weekend.Read More -
MTB Race #2 Report - Rockabilly Ridge Trails, Oakfield, TN
The MTB team returned to the the twisty trails of tranquil Oakfield, TN on Sept 13th to take part in the second race of the season, as part of the 5-race series hosted by the NICA/TICL League.Read More
Contact
Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
USN Mission:
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.