Skip to main content Skip to footer
Saginaw Valley State University

December 4, 2024

SVSU students stand out in moot court

Six qualify for national tournament in January

students in professional attire

Six members of Saginaw Valley State University’s moot court team will head to the preliminary rounds of the American Moot Court Association’s (AMCA) national tournament in January. The students who will represent SVSU at the tournament at the University of Houston Law Center on January 10-11, 2025, are:

  • Nikolas Baker, a political science major from Standish, and Diva Patel, of Kawkawlin, with a dual major in political science and cell biology, molecular biology and biomedical sciences
  • Jason Hoang, a political science major from Saginaw, paired with Cole Starke, a political science major from Saginaw
  • Payton Stemmerich, a Spanish major from Clinton Township, and Ethan Rose, a political science major from Ypsilanti

The final round of the national tournament will be held in February at Texas Tech University.

SVSU’s moot court coaches Kevin G. Lorentz II, SVSU assistant professor of political science, and Amy Hendrickson, SVSU associate professor of law and assistant dean of the Scott L. Carmona College of Business, were assisted this year by Abigail Walk, a 2024 graduate of SVSU and former moot court participant. The three spent countless hours helping the moot court participants prepare.

“Both Amy and I are extremely proud of our teams this season,” Lorentz said. “The students put in countless hours of preparation over the course of the past several months preparing for the oral and brief writing competitions. It is a testament to both their skills and determination that SVSU's Moot Court team continues to perform exceptionally well, standing out among the nation's best undergraduate moot court programs.”

Participants in moot court act as attorneys in a simulated argument in front of the Supreme Court. Competitions are judged on the quality and clarity of the students’ arguments, their public speaking skills and knowledge of the law and the case.

Several students in SVSU’s moot court program participated in three qualifying regional tournaments in November. Seven students participated in a regional tournament hosted by SVSU on Friday and Saturday, November 8-9:

  • Ethan Bebow, a political science major from Saginaw, and Eric Dahley, a political science major from Freeland
  • Gavin Girard, a pre-accounting major from Saginaw, who formed a “hybrid” team with a competitor from Alma College
  • Hoang and Starke
  • Rylee Livesay, a history major from Midland, and Seth Taylor, a history major from Auburn    

All of the Cardinals performed well during the competition, with the duos of Livesay/Taylor, Bebow/Dahley and Hoang/Starke advancing to Saturday’s elimination rounds by finishing in the top 16 (of 30) teams on Friday. Taylor and Hoang both received individual orator awards, finishing No. 8 and No. 10, respectively, of 60 competitors.

On Saturday, the teams of Livesay/Taylor and Bebow/Dahley finished in the top 16 teams, while Hoang/Starke finished in the top 8, securing a national bid.

The following weekend, Nov. 16-17, two teams from SVSU competed at Capital Law School in Columbus, Ohio: the team of Stemmerich and Rose and the team of Piper Luke, a political science major from Howell, and Eric Durette, a political science major from China, Michigan.

On Saturday, Nov. 16, both teams finished in the top 16 of 32 teams, advancing to the second day of competition.

During the elimination rounds on Sunday, the team of Luke/Durette finished in the top 16, losing in a split decision (2-1) to the first-seeded team. Stemmerich and Rose advanced to the second round, finishing in the top 8 teams for the tournament and securing a national bid.

Two SVSU Moot Court teams competed in the third and final qualifying regional tournament on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 22-23, at The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio.  

In addition to the team of Baker and Patel, Owen Bacigalupo, a sociology major from Bay City, and Noah Johnson, a political science major from Lake Orion, competed in their first tournament of the season.  

Finishing in the top 16 of 32 teams on Friday, Nov. 22, both advanced to the second day of competition, finishing in the top 25 of 64 competitors. Baker received a Top 10 Orator Award.

During elimination rounds on Saturday, Bacigalupo/Johnson lost to a strong team from The College of Wooster, finishing in the top 16. Baker/Patel finished in the top 4, losing in a split decision (3-2) to the eventual regional champion from Morehouse College. As semifinalists, the duo qualified for the national competition in January.

This year, 22 students are participating in SVSU’s moot court program, which was ranked ninth in the country after the 2023-2024 season. In addition to the tournaments, the AMCA holds a brief writing competition, which all SVSU moot court participants will enter. Results of this competition will be announced in February 2025. Last year, five SVSU teams received national brief writing awards, propelling SVSU to 2nd place in the competition.

SVSU’s moot court team roster for the 2024-2025 season follows:

  • Jeremiah Arnold, a criminal justice major from Freeland
  • Owen Bacigalupo, a sociology major from Bay City
  • Nikolas Baker, a political science major from Standish
  • Ethan Bebow, a political science major from Saginaw
  • Hadley Bukantis, a political science major from Ovid
  • Andrew Curtis, a political science major from Kentwood
  • Eric Dahley, a political science major from Freeland
  • Eric Durette, a political science major from China
  • Gavin Girard, an accounting major from Saginaw
  • Memphis Hartman, a political science major from Grand Rapids
  • Jason Hoang, a political science major from Saginaw
  • Noah Johnson, a political science major from Lake Orion
  • Rylee Livesay, a history major from Midland
  • Piper Luke, a political science major from Howell
  • Diva Patel, a political science and cell biology, molecular biology and biomedical sciences and political science major from Kawkawlin
  • Ethan Rose, a political science major from Ypsilanti
  • Cole Starke, a political science major from Saginaw
  • Payton Stemmerich, a Spanish major from Clinton Township
  • Seth Taylor, a history major from Auburn
  • Dahlia Terry, a political science major from Wayland
  • Ryan VanTonne, a political science major from Bay City
  • Ryan Wiley, a political science major from Marine City

 SVSU’s moot court program has qualified for the American Moot Court Association national tournament nearly every year it has competed since the program’s inception in 2010. For more information about the American Moot Court Association, visit amcamootcourt.org.