Mediation Team Earns Second Place in Championship
Principia’s mediation team took second place in Team Mediation at the 2016 International Intercollegiate Mediation Championship Tournament in Arlington, Texas, in early November, earning an invitation to the 2017 International Law School Mediation Championship Tournament in Glasgow, Scotland in April. This is the third year in a row that Principia has placed first or second in this competition, and it will be the team’s third appearance at the Law School Championships in the last three years.
Competing in two teams of three students each, Principians also earned a fifth-place finish in Team Mediation and sixth place in Team Advocacy. All the team members—senior Elaina Cokinos, juniors Connor Fiddler and Maddi Demaree, sophomores Lorraine Marsh and Namrata Roy, and freshman Sammy Keyes—earned medals and plaques for their individual contributions. And Dr. Jeffrey Steele was honored as Coach of the Year by the tournament sponsors (the International Academy of Dispute Resolution) in recognition of Principia’s consistent performance at the top levels of international competition.
Earlier in the semester, the team competed at the Intercollegiate Invitational Mediation Tournament at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia. Led by sophomore Rachel Cook, the new team members—sophomore Megan Tozzie and freshmen Brittany Duke, Mandy-Kay Johnson, Sammy Keyes, and Shay Mackey—received training and practical experience competing. “Our freshmen grabbed the baton from last year’s seniors and took home top-10 finishes in three out of four of the tournament categories,” says Dr. Steele. Principia earned fourth place in Team Mediation. Mandy-Kay and Shay took seventh place in Top Advocate/Client Pair, and Shay earned sixth place for Top Individual Mediator.
The team also competed at Maharishi University of Management’s Peacemaker Regional Tournament, held in Fairfield, Iowa. Namrata Roy won the Top Individual Mediator Award, with Maddi Demaree taking home second-place medals in both Individual Mediator and Individual Advocate categories. “Principia was once again the smallest school at these tournaments, competing against teams from Boston University, University of San Diego, University of Texas-Dallas, and University of Dubuque, among others. Team captains Elaina and Connor were instrumental in preparing the team for success by their diligence in case preparation and team morale,” Dr. Steele notes.
While students appreciate the recognition and certainly enjoy bringing trophies and medals back to campus, the actual benefits are far more important, including renewed confidence and willingness to apply what they’re learning in mediation to their classes, athletics, and the study and practice of Christian Science. For Lorraine, the Texas tournament presented an opportunity to sharpen her metaphysical preparation. “Many of the cases were about topics that are very prevalent in society, like racism and violence, and it was incredible to view the rounds as prayers for the world,” she says. “If we could go in and create peace by reflecting our spiritual identity to demonstrate over these false beliefs, then we could heal these beliefs for the world.”