The Barry Student Advocacy Team advanced to the Final Four of the Miami Regional for the American Association for Justice mock trial competition this past weekend in Miami. The competition is one of the largest in the nation, and this regional – consisting of students from Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi – historically is one of the toughest in the country. The two teams were composed, respectively, of Nicholas Primrose, Victor Zamora, Michael Cahill and Caryna Zamora; and Sheryl Johansen, Amanda Kelly, Tiffany Walters and Rihana Quashie.
Both teams went undefeated in the three preliminary rounds and were seeded first and second, with a mere point separating them. In the preliminary rounds, advocates Michael Cahill and Caryna Zamora defeated Stetson University, two ballots to one, and advocates Nicholas Primrose and Victor Zamora soundly defeated both Florida International University and the University of Miami. Tiffany Walters and Rihana Quashie easily dispatched Ole Miss, and Sheryl Johansen and Amanda Kelly defeated both the University of Miami and Florida International University.
In the semifinals, Nicholas Primrose and Victor Zamora lost by a slim margin to the Stetson team, and Sheryl Johansen and Amanda Kelly lost to St. Thomas, two ballots to one, with the ballot in their favor having a perfect score of 30 points.
The teams were coached by Trial Team and Barry Law alums Michael Kraynick and John Beamer.