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First Place in the Nation and Multiple Top Awards at National Moot Court Finals

First Place in the Nation and Multiple Top Awards at National Moot Court Finals

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The Moot Court team at American Heritage Schools, Palm Beach Campus, established a major milestone at the National Association of Moot Court (NAMC) National Championship. Demonstrating exceptional depth and critical analysis, the Palm Beach campus advanced 11 separate teams into the highly selective 50-team national field, which comprises the top-performing secondary school law programs across the country.

The national tournament challenges qualifiers to deliver formal appellate oral arguments and respond to complex constitutional inquiries from panels of legal professionals. The Palm Beach delegation secured multiple top finishes across both team and individual categories.

Victoria Grigelis and Siana Kotha advanced through multiple single-elimination rounds to earn their place in the national championship finals, finishing as national runners-up. Additionally, the team of Nikol Astakhova and Caitlin Yaralli advanced to the national quarterfinal round.

The performance of the Palm Beach Campus students resulted in several top national individual honors:

National Individual Orator Awards

  • Olivia Thompson – 2nd Place in the Nation
  • Nikol Astakhova – 3rd Place in the Nation
  • Penelope Goldman – 10th Place in the Nation

National Brief Writing Champions and Finalists

In the analytical brief writing division, American Heritage students captured six of the nine national finalist positions available across the entire competition.

  • Cormac Toner – 1st Place in the Nation (National Brief Writing Champion)
  • Penelope Goldman – 3rd Place in the Nation
  • Samantha Shullman – National Brief Writing Finalist
  • Dean Sincavage – National Brief Writing Finalist
  • Leanza Sojor – National Brief Writing Finalist (Recognized for dual-finalist submissions on both sides of the constitutional issue)

The appellate structures utilized in the NAMC national tournament demand that students read extensive case law, analyze statutory precedents, and deliver structured arguments under intense questioning. By capturing a national brief writing title, securing a spot in the national oral advocacy finals, and earning three top-10 individual orator awards, these students have validated their mastery of legal methodology. This multi-layered victory reflects the rigorous academic standards of the campus pre-professional track, which prepares the next generation of attorneys for top-tier universities and future career tracks.