The Western Regional at CSULB:

CSULB has hosted all seven Western Regional Moot Court Tournament. The CSULB team of Hartnett and Hall won the Regional crown in 2002-03 and finished as runner’s up in 2003-04. CSULB students Tyson Thomas and Nina Flores were runners up in 2002-03. In 2003-04 Garciela Almada-Tavlavera and Jalyn Wang reached the tournament’s semi-finals. In 2004-05 Katelyn North and Annmarie Banchero and in 2005-06 Katelyn North and Morgan Wheeler in 2005-06 reached the quarter-finals.  In 2006-07, the hybrid team of Michalyn Thomas (CSULB) and Will Glaser (Patrick Henry College) made it to the regional semi-finals. In 2007-08, a hybrid of Mason Taylor (CSULB) and Anna Accomazzo (Patrick Henry College) reached the regional’s quarter-finals.  That same year, three CSULB teams advanced to the regional’s sweet sixteen.  These teams paired Paige McCormack and Muhammad Ataya, Melissa Sanchez and Ted McNamara, and Cody Fitch and Ryan Mommaerts.  In 2008-09, CSULB had two teams advance to the quarter-finals and a third reach the round of 16.  Those three teams took all but one of the 28 ballots cast in their Friday rounds.  The quarter-finalists were Heather Pegg and Tim Appelbaum and Laila Nikaien and Reema Abboud.  The additional CSULB team to reach the elimination rounds was that of Nicole Wilson and Edgar Gutierrez

The Western Regional has historically between very competitive and has earned a reputation as the best in the nation. In fact, in the seven years since its inception of the Western Regional has produced three national champions in 2003, 2004, and 2006, (no other regional has produced more than two in that time), four finalists (2003, 2004, 2006, and 2008), and five semi-finalists (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008).  To date, the regional has hosted teams from California, Utah, Idaho, Virginia, Minnesota, Texas, Iowa, Arkansas, and Wisconsin.

The Western Regional began in 2002 with ten teams (all from CSULB). Professor Renee Cramer was the Chair or Director and Professor Lewis Ringel was the Vice-Chair or Deputy Director. There were about 15 to 20 judges and the entire event was finished in one evening. All ten teams earned prizes. The winning team of Tommy Hartnett and Ja’Nene Hall defeated Tyson Thomas and Nina Flores. Hartnett and Hall went on to finish first at the American Collegiate Moot Court Association National Championship. Subsequent regional champions have come from University of Texas at Arlington (2003), Patrick Henry College (2004-2005 and 2008), Weber State (2006), and Drake (2007). The teams of Hartnett and Hall (CSULB 2002-03), Andrew Stubblefield and Mark Melton (UTA 2003-04), and Brian Wright and Rachael Williams (PHC 2005-06) have been crowned as national champions. Hartnett and Hall and Wright and Williams are the only teams to reach the Western Regional finals in consecutive years and Knight and Williams are the only Western Regional champion to successfully defend their title. The Weber State team of Danielle Stout and Veronica Lynaugh, an eight-seed after the preliminaries, won the 2006 title after completing three straight upsets in the quarter-finals. A Drake team of Katherine Wiley and Siva Kasinathan captured the 2007 crown in a thrilling 5-4 ruling that featured a court of two federal judges and one state judge.  2008 featured an all Patrick Henry Final Four.  The ten seed, Paul Sellers and Jenna Lorence, defeated the number two seed of Rachel Blum and Noah Oberlander.  The other semi-finalists were Carmen Pettus and Ben Sayre and Grace Lichlyter and Rebekah Ries.  Lorence has been in two regional finals, while Ries has advanced to two regional and one national semi-finals.  Sellers and Oberlander have been in two regional semi-finals.