The Niles West Mock Trial’s Red Team took 2nd place out of 11 schools at the Skokie Invitational this past Thursday, Jan. 27 held at the Skokie Court House.

Even though some members have received individual awards, this is the first award they have won as a team since its creation four years ago.

Despite this being a big win for the team, some on the team say they will continue to work hard to prepare for state.

“I am proud of the team, they have worked very hard. If we continue to work hard, we have the potential of being one of the best teams in the state,” sponsor and social studies teacher Jason Stanford said.

Captain and senior Asma Akram has been participating in the club since the beginning and describes this win as being particularly meaningful to her.

“Well it was super emotional for me because we’ve worked 4 long years to get any type of placement. At Yale a few months ago, we only got 4th place, so we didn’t get a trophy. I wanted to cry because as the captain I have the responsibility to lead the team to success and winning felt like a weight was being lifted off my shoulders,” Akram said.

Senior Stephanie Schmidt, another member since the beginning, describes this win as being special to her but she looks forwards to her next competition.

“Winning for me has meant that all the hard work and preparation we’ve done finally pays off. However, the next competition I look forward to is at DuPage County because a lot of good schools compete there and we have been going there since the beginning,” Schmidt said.

The High School Mock Trial competition at DuPage County will take place this Saturday, Feb. 4 starting at 9 a.m..