- This 2025-26 Mock Trial team became the first in school history to win the California State Championship, defeating Moreau Catholic High School in the final round at the March 20-22 state competition in Oakland.
- As the Santa Clara County champions for the third consecutive year, the team overcame a grueling tournament schedule and will represent California at the National Mock Trial. Championship in Des Moines, Iowa on May 7–9.
- With only a month to prepare an entirely new case for nationals, the team has been leaning on support from Mock Trial alumni and guidance from past California representatives as they enter the competition.
In their 2025-26 season, Mock Trial made school history by becoming the first Lynbrook team to reach the state final round, then again as the first to win the California State Championship. The team competed in the state competition in Oakland from March 20–22, earning them the honor of representing California at the National Mock Trial Championship in May. The announcement left the team in excitement.
“We started jumping around,” senior and president Samay Sikri said. “We were picking up our coach and running around. It was a mixture of shock and happiness.”
Mock Trial is a nationwide academic competition in which student teams argue a fictional legal case before a panel of judges. Each school yields a prosecution and defense team that compete in separate rounds. Teams compete at the county level, with winners advancing to state finals.
Previously, the team’s best state finish was third place in 2010. For the past two years, the team has placed among the top 20 to 30.
As champions of the Santa Clara County High School Mock Trial Tournament for the third consecutive year, Lynbrook was one of 33 teams competing in the California State Championship finals. The tournament schedule — one round on Friday and three on Saturday, each lasting two to three hours — tested the team’s endurance, with the defense team competing in all three Saturday rounds without rotation due to the bracket placement. Still, the Vikings pushed onward, defeating Moreau Catholic High School in the final round.
“A good percentage of the team, including myself, had never been to the state tournament,” sophomore Brinda Paladugu said. “We got a lot of preparation from the older members of our team, and a lot of motivation to compete at our best abilities.”
Preparation for the state tournament began in October and included weekly practices, weekend scrimmages against other schools and sessions with Mock Trial alumni. The team entered the competition with modest expectations, hoping to finish in the top eight.
“For a public school with limited resources, just getting there and competing was the most telling demonstration of our students’ abilities,” attorney coach Mark Shem said.
From May 7–9, nationals in Des Moines, Iowa will present an entirely new challenge. After their statewide victory, the team only had a month to prepare, a sizable decrease compared to the six months they had for the state competition. As California has finished in the top ten in recent years, the team will continue to draw on guidance from past California representatives as well as support from Lynbrook alumni.
For the team’s seniors, nationals will mark their final competition with Lynbrook before graduating. Many have been involved in Mock Trial for multiple years, and hope to leave behind a strong legacy for the underclassmen who will carry the program forward.
“Going into nationals, we just want to do as well as we can, especially for our coach,” senior and vice president Ashwath Anoop said. “If we work hard enough, we can accomplish anything.”
