Glenwood mock trial teams successful at regional meet

Glenwood Springs High School’s mock trial Team 1 is headed to the state competition March 9 and 10 in Greeley, after finishing as the top team at the Western Slope Regional Mock Trial tournament in Grand Junction last weekend.

Students from Glenwood Springs and Rifle high schools and two teams from Grand Junction-area high schools presented their cases at the regional meet. The mock trial program is sponsored by the Colorado Bar Association, and this year’s featured case weaves a tale of spousal abuse and death. But is it an accident or murder?

Teams presented the case to student jurors from Grand Mesa Job Corps, who decided whether Bailey Forsythe had killed his or her spouse, Corey Forsythe, according to Glenwood coach Charlie Willman.

Glenwood’s Team 1 finished undefeated, taking all four rounds and all 12 ballots. Placing second and earning the region’s second spot at state was Grand Junction High School’s A team.

Glenwood’s Team 2 faced Team 1 on two different rounds and came the closest to preventing the sweep, losing by only two points in their first encounter.

Team 2 came in a strong fourth place, and Glenwood Team 3 won three rounds and finished third. Glenwood’s fourth team ended with a good showing in sixth place. Grand Junction R5 High School rounded out the tournament at seventh and eighth.

Glenwood coaches include Willman, Wes Burke and Vic Zerbi.

Team 1 includes students Ellie Moser, Erin Bucchin, Mikey Willis, Kate Shanahan, Reed Flentge, Zoe Lyon, Sophia Hayes and Brittany Gutierrez, who will travel to Greeley next weekend seeking what would be Glenwood’s eighth state championship.

In the individual awards, Lyon won one of the eight best attorney awards presented at the regional tournament, and Willis and Shanahan each won one of the eight best witness awards.

Willman said that this is among the most talented teams he has coached. “If they perform in the exceptional way they did at regionals, I have no doubt they can win the state tournament,” he said.

Team 2 is coached by local attorneys Zac Parsons and Graham Jackson, and includes students Toby Blizzard, Takoda Britton, Rebekah Jensen, Linnaea Petterson, Taylor Calton, Francesca Williams and Shanik Zambrano. Blizzard led that team with a best witness award.

Team 3, made up mostly of freshmen and one sophomore, is coached by Isabel Carlson, who also teaches the mock trial class at GSHS. Team members Maya Elias and Libby Claassen won best witness awards, and Annika Bucchin and Willow Walden won best attorney awards. Other students on the team are Bridget Carrington, Omar De la Cruz, Kate Malloy, Luisa Quinones, James Plumback, Pilar Melendez, Lily Webber and Aaliyah Tapia.

Team 4, also coached by Carlson, includes best witness award winner Anna Carrington and teammates Mikayla Corgan, Dalton Deter, Kaitlyn Garvin, Jaymin Kanzer, Grace Oliver, Nicole Powell, Mario Starszak and Sophia Vigil.

The Western Slope Regional Tournament will return to the Garfield County Courthouse in Glenwood Springs next year.