Cumberland School of Law’s National Trial Team competed in the Syracuse National Trial Competition, Oct. 21-23, 2022. Cumberland was represented by six students making their first appearance in a national competition: Christian Bayas, Ashlan Kelley, Riley Kate Lancaster, Jonathan Reese, Hannah Dillashaw and Ally Timm.

Cumberland entered the semifinal round 4-0 after defeating Chicago-Kent College of Law, Cardozo School of Law, George Washington University Law School and Pace Law School. Riley Kate Lancaster was awarded the Best Advocate award for her performance in the preliminary rounds. In the semifinals, Cumberland fell by one point to eventual champion Stetson University College of Law.

The team was coached by Julie McMakin ’09, Michael Eldridge ’12, John Banks ’21 and Bella Colombo ’21. “We went into the competition with a young team and four first-time advocates,” McMakin said. “We finished the preliminary rounds as the top seed which is a testament to our team's hard work and dedication to the program. We are so proud of this team and their accomplishments and cannot wait for the spring.”