The Mock Trial team fell two ballots to one against Elk Grove, the defending county champion, 526-512 on Feb. 25 at the Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Courthouse in round four of the county competition.
Despite the loss, Country Day remains in second place behind Rio Americano and advances to the quarterfinals against seventh-seeded Laguna Creek on Feb. 29 at 9 a.m. at the same site. The winner moves on to the semifinals that day at 1 p.m., and the loser is eliminated.
Coach Rick Lewkowitz described the match against Elk Grove as a “contest between two evenly matched opponents.”
Lewkowitz was particularly impressed with freshman attorney Grace Zhao.
“Zhao was at her best effectively arguing several key objections and delivering a persuasive and comprehensive closing argument,” Lewkowitz said.
Zhao received the team MVP award, chosen by the opponent.
“I’m super grateful that I got chosen out of so many teammates that deserved (the award),” Zhao said.
Even though the Cavs lost, Zhao said the team performed better than in past trials.
Senior pretrial attorney Anu Krishnan agreed.
“We had one of our best performances points-wise,” Krishnan said.
She added that the judges complimented the team on its preparedness and execution.
Krishnan said the team is looking forward to the quarterfinals. She emphasized how much the team has improved throughout the year.
“It was a great feeling seeing how much our hard work paid off,” she said.
—By Ethan Monasa
