by Allison Craft, Student Public Relations Writer
In a world where courtroom battles seem to leave little room for faith, Cedarville University mock trial team members are honing their legal skills and proving Christian principles and legal excellence can go hand-in-hand.
Cedarville’s mock trial team members learn how to meld their Christian faith with the skills of a successful trial lawyer. This is the mindset of Greg Thompson, professor of criminal justice and the team’s inaugural coach.
Thompson has experience in the courtroom and the classroom. Before he joined the faculty at Cedarville, Thompson served for 20 years as a Judge Advocate General in the United States Air Force and as a former prosecutor in Tucson, Arizona. He also taught at the United States Air Force Academy, where he coached their mock trial team.
Thompson’s foundation is emphasizing prayer before each practice and throughout competitions. He believes these prayers are not only for the Cedarville team but for their competitors.
“We’re really intentional about praying for our competitors before rounds. Prayer is powerful in every aspect of life,” said Thompson. “We also want to shine with excellence when we get in the courtroom because as believers, we want to show what it means to carry the name of Christ.”
The team strives toward excellence in competition while remaining grounded in faith and reliant on God. Thompson hopes that this approach to mock trial will allow students to prepare for careers in law while knowing what a Christian approach in the courtroom looks like.
While this is only their second year as a team, Cedarville’s team members have received accolades from various opponents and faculty members for their growth and professionalism.
The team won the Spirit of AMTA (American Mock Trial Association) Award at their competition at Kent State University in January of 2024. Based on the votes of opponents, this award goes to the team that best exemplifies the ideals of the association: civility, justice and fair play.
Cedarville’s team kicked off its second year on October 12–13 by facing teams from Penn State University, the University of Michigan and Ohio State University. While they did not bring home a victory, competing against these regional powerhouses is a testament to how quickly the team has progressed.
The students competing at the Ohio State tournament were senior Thaddian Burson (Cedarville, Ohio), majoring in political science; juniors Katie Baker (Fredricktown, Ohio), majoring in social work, Rachel Kidder (Dacono, Colorado), majoring in psychology, Aaron Waters (Lewis Center, Ohio), majoring in political science, Lily Ritter (Meade, Kansas), a prelaw major and Annie Heim (Lizton, Indiana), majoring in economics; sophomore Paige Johnson (Davenport, Iowa), majoring in political science, and freshmen Josh Hartford (Chesterfield, Michigan), majoring in prelaw and history major Kate Melvin (Washington Courthouse, Ohio).
Cedarville University, a Baptist institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by the Wall Street Journal as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.