Howard Payne University’s Moot Court team earned a fourth-place finish at an invitational tournament hosted by Colorado Christian University, continuing the Brownwood university’s long participation in undergraduate legal competition. The results were announced by Howard Payne on Nov. 13, 2026.
Rylie Burden and Adriaan Lafferty advanced to the semifinals before finishing fourth overall after a close 3-2 decision. Andrew Mathis and Caden Sandlin also advanced through several rounds, reaching the octofinal round and finishing among the tournament’s top 16 teams.
Two additional HPU pairs competed at the invitational. Sharon Herrera and Brock Horton represented Howard Payne as one team, while Shadia Herrera and Gabriela Pena competed as another. Together, the four teams reflected the university’s continued investment in a competition that requires students to research constitutional questions, prepare detailed legal arguments and respond to challenging questions from judges.
Competition simulates appellate court arguments
Moot Court is an academic competition designed to simulate proceedings before an appellate court, including the type of arguments presented before the United States Supreme Court. Students compete in pairs and prepare arguments on constitutional issues. Their work draws on Supreme Court decisions and other legal precedent as they develop positions supporting both sides of a hypothetical case.
The American Moot Court Association organizes undergraduate Moot Court competitions across the country. Each year, the association releases a hypothetical case involving two constitutional issues. Competitors then spend months studying the case, researching relevant legal decisions and preparing arguments for both sides rather than limiting their preparation to a single position.
That structure requires participants to consider legal perspectives that may differ from their own. Howard Payne said the process helps students understand that constitutional questions can be complicated and that reasonable legal arguments may exist on opposing sides of an issue.
At tournaments, students present their arguments before a panel of judges. The judges can interrupt the presentations, question the competitors’ interpretations and introduce hypothetical situations that require an immediate response. The format therefore tests more than a student’s ability to recall legal information; it requires competitors to apply case law while defending a position under pressure.
“One of the greatest benefits of Moot Court is that students learn how to think critically rather than simply memorize information,” said Kenan Boland, assistant professor of government and coach of HPU’s Moot Court team.
Boland said students analyze complex legal questions, evaluate competing interpretations of the Constitution and develop persuasive arguments supported by legal precedent. Because the competition has no divisions, HPU competes against universities of varying sizes, including the University of Texas, Texas A&M University, Yale and Harvard.
Skills extend beyond a legal career
Although Moot Court can provide preparation for students considering law school, Boland said participation is not limited to people planning legal careers. Students interested in current issues, differing viewpoints, debate or the Constitution can benefit from the experience.
The team’s preparation also develops public speaking and communication skills. Competitors learn to explain complicated ideas clearly, respond to difficult questions, collaborate with a partner and defend a position through evidence and reasoning. Boland said those abilities can be useful in law, government, business, education and other professional fields.
Lafferty, a sophomore from Elgin majoring in jurisprudence and the Guy D. Newman Honors Academy, described the preparation required for competition. Students must study thousands of pages of case law and be ready to apply what they have learned when judges interrupt an argument with questions.
“To be successful, students must master thousands of pages of case law and be able to apply it on the fly when justices interrupt their argument to ask questions,” said Lafferty.
“Thus, Moot Court not only tests constitutional analysis, but also reading comprehension and other forensic skills.”
The experience builds on a significant history for Howard Payne. HPU teams have won two American Moot Court Association national championships, taking the title in 2002 and again in 2015.
Regional competitions are next
Following the Colorado Christian tournament, Howard Payne’s Moot Court team will compete in regional AMCA tournaments. The university identified one regional event at Texas A&M Law School in Fort Worth and another at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The announcement did not provide dates for either event.
The regional tournaments also establish the route toward the national competition. Teams that finish among the top eight at the regional level advance to the next stage, which includes the top 128 schools in the country. The national tournament will ultimately include the top 32 teams.
For information about Howard Payne’s Moot Court team, the university directs interested people to Kenan Boland at [email protected].