On Sunday, January 15, 2023, Patrick Henry College (PHC) won its 13th national championship at the American Moot Court Association (AMCA) National Tournament in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. PHC students won 1st place in the National Oral Advocacy Tournament. Three PHC teams placed among the top eight in the nation. PHC speakers also won 7 of the top 25 speaker awards.
Eighty teams from 35 American colleges and universities qualified for the National Tournament. All eight PHC teams advanced to the elimination rounds. Four PHC teams advanced to the top 16, three PHC teams advanced to quarter finals, and one team, Isaac Bock and Hope Rawlson, advanced to and prevailed in the final round.
Additionally, from more than 190 briefs submitted in the competition, PHC students won 1st and 10th place in the National Brief Writing Competition. PHC’s Hope Turner and Calvin Huh won 1st place in Brief Writing for their Petitioner Brief and Sarah Fox and Finneas Buck placed 10th for their Petitioner Brief.
Patrick Henry College is a forensics powerhouse with an unmatched record in collegiate competition. In existence for only 22 years, PHC has won 13 of the past 18 AMCA National Tournament Championships; only one other college has won the tournament more than once. Additionally, PHC consistently ranks in the top 1% in the U.S. in the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA). In Civic Debate, in the spring of 2021, PHC students shut out the competition, including several Ivy League institutions, to bring home both the gold and silver in The George Washington University Lafayette Debates, a national collegiate civic debate competition.
“Although a young college with approximately 400 students, PHC continues its unparalleled track record of success in placing alumni in top graduate programs, law schools, and every level of government. PHC alumni have argued before the Supreme Court of the United States and served in the White House in various capacities, including press secretary of the Vice President. PHC has had more graduates clerk for the U.S. Supreme Court than any other evangelical Christian college in the nation,” said Jack W. Haye, PHC’s president.
Describing the 2023 Moot Court National Championship, Forensics Program Director Sue Johnson notes, “The students truly worked as a unified team, supporting, encouraging, and sharpening each other at every step of the way in their preparations and during the competition itself. It was clear that they had a deep desire to serve each other and to represent the Lord and the College with humility and excellence, and it was a tremendous encouragement to see how they pulled together, worked hard, had fun, and lifted each other up throughout the tournament weekend.”
The Patrick Henry College roster of 2022-2023 Moot Court National competitors included the following 18 students from 13 states:
- Riley Anderson, Huntington Beach, CA
- Andrew Bleiler, Chalfont, PA
- Isaac Bock, #1 in Oral Advocacy, Indianapolis, IN
- Finn Buck, Cambridge, WI
- Sarah Fox, Raleigh, NC
- Nikolas Frey, Cape May, NJ
- Olivia Green, New Hampton, NH
- Calvin Huh, #1 in Brief Writing, Westerville, OH
- Noah Johnson, Redlands, CA
- Calvin Klomparens, Arlington, WA
- Trinity Klomparens, Arlington, WA
- Caleb Knox, Virginia Beach, VA
- Hope Rawlson, #1 in Oral Advocacy, Kissimmee, FL
- Lauren Rule, Kent, WA
- Allyn Sims, High Point, NC
- Hope Turner, #1 in Brief Writing, Tyrone, GA
- Isaac Winnes, Minneapolis, MN
- Ronen Wyrick, Pullman, WA
Coaching staff:
- Sue Johnson, Forensics Program Director
- Peter Kamakawiwoole, PHC Class of 2008, Government and Moot Court Head Coach • Logan Spena, PHC Class of 2012, Government
- James Dunning, PHC Class of 2022, Economics & Business Analytics • Tyler Dunning, PHC Class of 2022, Economics & Business Analytics • Cole Reynolds, PHC Class of 2022, Government
Support Coaches:
- Michael P. Farris, PHC Chancellor Emeritus
- Ryan McDonald, PHC Class of 2016, Government and PHC Head Debate Coach • Chris Baldacci, PHC Class of 2019, Government
- Caleb Dalton, PHC Class of 2008, Government
- Thomas Doan, PHC Class of 2022, Strategic Intelligence in Nat’l Security • Will Glaser, PHC Class of 2008, History
- Caleb Jones, PHC Class of 2008, Government
- Jason Long, PHC Class of 2017, Government
- Jenna Lorence, PHC Class of 2010, Government
- Ashlyn Roberts, PHC Class of 2016, Government
- Shane Roberts, PHC Class of 2018, Government
- Daniel Thetford, PHC Class of 2018, Government
- Kyle Ziemnick, PHC Class of 2020, Journalism
- Marina Ziemnick, PHC Class of 2020, Government
Thank you, Mr. Beverly for running the story of this young woman’s remarkable achievement. Fun to see the Tyrone kid best some of the Ivy League’s brightest.