The Iona College Mock Trial team competed at Fordham’s Fourth Annual Sapientiaet Doctrina Mock Trial Invitational Competition last weekend. The competition consisted of four rounds and was the team’s first invitational for the new semester. Iona came out on top, finishing second overall out of the 16 competing teams. Iona took on teams from the University of Minnesota, St. Johns, Penn State and Stonehill. At the end of the fourth round, Iona stood tall with six wins, one loss and one draw, ranking them among the top competitors. “The amount of dedication that was required to begin the semester off with such a impressive start is a testament to the exemplary work of our students,” said team coach Adam Detsky. “This year has always been and will continue to a rebuilding year for the program.” Iona sophomore Anastasia Nitis was one of three honored as top advocate at the invitational. “Competing at Fordham this weekend showed our team how far we’ve come in only a few months,” said Nitis. Junior Zachary Benoit attributes the team’s placement to the hard work and dedication of the team. “Our success this weekend is because of all the late nights in the library practicing,” he said. But the team isn’t stopping here. The new semester is bringing some big things for the Mock Trial team, including a regional competition at Yale this coming February, which team members say they hope to keep improving for. The team will be traveling to Georgetown University the weekend of Jan. 28 to compete in the University’s First Annual Hilltop Invitational Tournament. The tournament will be held at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC.