Trial by Combat began in 2018. The tournament has drawn elite competitors from the most successful mock trial programs in the country. As just one measure, Trial by Combat competitors have averaged more than one All-American award per person.

2023 Competition

In 2023, Travis Harper (Harvard University) won the final trial against Josiah Jones (University of California, Irvine), decided by one point on one ballot! Watch the final round.

Michael Sean Wilson (University of Michigan) and Michael Chandler (Brown University) were the semifinalists. The other 12 competitors were Aleyna Young, University of California, Santa Barbara; Danielle Jacoby, Emory University; Ria Debnath, University of California, Los Angeles; Marra Edwards, Furman University; Charles Stock, University of Notre Dame; Sam Farnsworth, University of Chicago; Bryan Walker, University of Georgia; Tahj Burnett, Northwestern University; Divya Kumar, University of Cincinnati; Arabella Loera, University of Dayton; Margaret Veglahn, Tufts University; Ben Wallace, University of South Carolina.

2022 Competition

In 2022, Benjamin Crosby (Patrick Henry College) won the final trial against Riya Lakkaraju (Emory University). Watch the final round.

Marra Edwards (Furman University) and Travis Harper (Harvard University) were the semifinalists. The other 12 competitors were Ali Alekri, University of Chicago; Thomas Azari, University of Maryland - Baltimore County; Elizabeth Baldwin, Rhodes College; Sara Campbell, Yale University; Bennett Demsky, Tufts University; Elizabeth Grant, Stanford University; Varun Aggarwal, Georgia Institute of Technology; Riya Lakkaraju, Emory University; Juliana Mayer, Duke University; James Orr, University of Virginia; Ruby Scanlon, Northwestern University; Camille Schaefer, UCLA; Madelyn Whalen, UC Santa Barbara.

2021 Competition

In 2021, Audrey Shepard (UCLA) won the final trial against Bennett Demsky (Tufts University). Watch the final round.

Raahema Durrani (University of Virginia) and Seva Castleberry (Duke University) were the semifinalists. The other 12 competitors were Abby Branham, Florida State University; Benjamin Crosby, Patrick Henry College; Sydney Gaskins, University of Maryland - Baltimore County; Elizabeth Grant, Stanford University; Travis Harper, Harvard University; Katelyn Hunt, Miami University; Jafar Khalfani-Bey, University of California, Davis; Riya Lakkaraju, Emory University; Montana Love, Yale University; Natalie Manoogian, Rhodes College; Sahil Nerurkar, University of Chicago; andClay Owens, The Ohio State University.

2020 Competition

In 2020, Sonali Mehta (Duke) won the final trial against Sydney Gaskins (UMBC). Watch the final round.

Matt Besman (Ohio State) and Bri Goodchild (Minnesota) were the semifinalists. The other 12 competitors were Steven Becker, Tufts; Josie Bianchi, Stanford; Regina Campbell, Chicago; Julia Greve, Cincinnati; Samuel Gross, Yale; Richard Madden, Rhodes; Elias Neibart, Emory; Daniel Peale, Virginia; Mashell Rahimzadeh, Columbia; Taylor Rich, Florida State; Harsha Sridhar, Georgia Institute of Technology; and Sasha Yusuf, UC Irvine.

2019 Competition

In 2019, Stephen Johnson (University of Cincinnati) won the final trial against Jonathan Kuang (UCLA). Natalie Garson (Boston University) and Sabrina Grandhi (University of Virginia) were the semifinalists. Watch the final round.

The 16 competitors were Mary-Preston Austin, Wheaton College; Elizabeth Bays, Yale University: Regina Campbell, University of Chicago; Daniel Elliott, Rhodes College; Natalie Garson, Boston University; Sydney Gaskins, University of Maryland - Baltimore County; Sabrina Grandhi, University of Virginia; Christopher Grant, Northwood University; Claudine Isaac, New York University; Stephen Johnson, University of Cincinnati; Mike Kleynman, Rutgers University; Jonathan Kuang, University of California, Los Angeles; Jack Seigenthaler, Stanford University: Sarah Stebbins, Georgia Institute of Technology; Steven Torres, Cornell University; and Kyle Westerfer, La Salle University.

2018 Competition

In 2018, Nick Ramos (NYU) won the final trial against Rachel Sommers (Columbia). Watch the final round.

The 16 competitors were Deisy Abarca-Espiritu, University of Rochester; Elizabeth Bays, Yale University; Christopher Grant, Northwood University; Kaitlyn Harper, Northern Illinois University; Stephen Johnson, University of Cincinnati; Mike Kleynman, Rutgers University; Danielle Kunkel, Miami University; Dylan McAuley, University of Richmond; Nick Ramos, New York University; Eric Roytman, The Ohio State University; Jack Seigenthaler, Stanford University; Rachel Sommers, Columbia University; Zeke Starr, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; Sarah Stebbins, Georgia Institute of Technology; Enrico Trevisani, University of Arizona; and Deniz Tunceli, University of Virginia.