ESD Mock Trial Students Earn Individual Honors at Yale Invitational
October 2, 2026
ESD Upper School Mock Trial students made their debut September 26–27, 2026, at the 14th annual Yale Mock Trial Bulldog Invitational, earning individual honors across all four rounds of competition.
Hosted by the Yale Mock Trial Association, the invitational brings together high school teams from across the country for a combination of instructional workshops and courtroom-style competition. This year’s tournament featured 30 teams, giving ESD students the opportunity to test their skills against experienced competitors while receiving feedback from Yale Mock Trial students, who organize and run the event.
Throughout the four-round tournament, our Mock Trial Eagles earned multiple individual awards recognizing their performances as attorneys and witnesses. Miles Ivy ’28, Alexa Sardina ’27, and Gabriela Loewen-Eells ’28 each earned perfect-score honors during the competition, while Jo Liethen ’27, Kerem Kalkan ’30, and Michelle Du ’30 also received individual recognition.
In the fourth round, they swept the attorney awards, with Miles taking first place, Jo second, and Kerem third. Miles also earned first place in the witness category, while Michelle placed second.
As ESD’s Speech and Debate and Mock Trial Coordinator, Adam Walsh, Upper School Government Teacher and ESDistinction Discourse: Leadership, Government, and Public Policy Network Coordinator, saw the invitational as a valuable opportunity for students to develop their courtroom skills and learn from collegiate competitors.
“The coolest thing is that the entire tournament is run by Yale Mock Trial students, so the kids get really good feedback,” Walsh said.
Although ESD students did not accumulate enough points for an overall individual award, Miles finished just two points short. The team’s first appearance at the invitational also marked a starting point for future competition, with Walsh hoping to bring a larger group next year. Congratulations to our Mock Trial students on a successful first appearance at the Yale Mock Trial Bulldog Invitational and on their impressive individual accomplishments!
