From July 27-30, 2026, six Alabama Youth and Government teams from four state schools participated in the YMCA National Judicial Competition in Austin, Texas.
Alabama earned two Top 10 finishes in Mock Trial, and a Top 25 finish in Moot Court in the competition involving more than 400 students from 24 states.
The Britton team from Spain Park High School in Hoover – Aaron Adelson, Adarsh Vadlakonda, Tyler Kaczorowski, Camilla Sink, Stella Wilson, Maggie Parker and Auston Parks – placed 7th in the 24-team national Mock Trial competition. The Britton team earned its spot in the national competition by placing third at the 2025 Alabama YMCA Youth in Government Major League Mock Trial competition.
The Campbell team from Hoover High School – London Hamilton, Coco Parker, Liam Brady, Madelynn Downey, Luke Hertz, Jaxon Ford, Demetrick Bledsoe, Olivia Lawson and Rosalyn Lawson – placed ninth in the national Mock Trial competition. The Campbell team was the runner-up team for the Premier League in the Alabama Mock Trial competition in November of last year.
Emma Holt and Jaden Padgett, the team from Providence Classical Christian School in Huntsville, placed 22nd among the 67 appellate teams competing. 
Special recognition for standout performance nationally went to:
- Mock Trial Attorney Luke Hertz of Hoover High School’s Campbell team, who was honored as the top ranked Mock Trial Attorney nationally.
- Elizabeth Handwerger of Bayside Academy’s Quisenberry team, who was honored as a Top 10 Witness for her portrayal of Dr. Jamie Martin, a forensics scientist in the trial.
The full Quisenberry team from Daphne’s Bayside Academy, which earned the state champion title for the 2025 Alabama YMCA Youth in Government Mock Trial Premier League competition, were Drew Williams, Hayden Coumanis, Bennett Lieb, Grace Counselman, Annabel Kimbrell, Frank Smith, Elizabeth Handwerger, and Evelynn Stokes.
Other appellate (moot) division Alabama teams that competed in the July national competition debating 4th Amendment constitutional law were:
- Drew Fisher and Amber Wallace of Spain Park High School; and
- John Stephen Klimjack and Pedro Monegatto of Bayside Academy.
National High School Mock Trial Championship
Earlier this year, Lulu Espy earned recognition as one of the Top 10 Trial Court Attorneys in the nation during the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
The Major League State Champions from the 2025 Alabama Mock Trial competition – the Cleveland team from The Montgomery Academy – represented Alabama at the 2026 National High School Mock Trial Championship, which was held May 7-9, 2026, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Besides Espy, the Cleveland team members were Jackson Brown, Virginia Haugabook, Duncan McInnes, Evan Parker and Robert Ashworth.
