Representing Harvard Law School in the inaugural NOCAP Sports Moot Court Competition, Eli Nachmany ’22 and Kit Metoyer ’22 took home the championship, besting a field of the nation’s top law schools.
The competition centered around the NCAA v Alston Supreme Court case, ahead of the oral arguments set to take place in the actual court on March 31.
The two Harvard Law students competed in an eight-team bracket, defeating a team from UCLA Law in the first round, another from Notre Dame Law in the second round, and ending the competition with a win against Baylor in the final round.
The judges complemented the Harvard duo’s composure, mastery of the subject matter, and their ability to stay on message even when the judge interjected with questions, which proved particularly challenging in a virtual environment.
“It is a lot harder to anticipate interruptions from the judges over Zoom,” said Nachmany. “When mooting each other, Kit and I tried to prepare for the interruptions by sprinkling in random interjections, in addition to the regular questions we figured the judges might ask us. This approach helped us be a bit nimbler on our feet, which is so important in competitions like these.”
As they waited to hear the result, Metoyer and Nachmany believed they had a good chance of winning, but knew their opponents had also performed well.
“When the final round ended, we were nervous, but confident. I say nervous because the other team put on a strong performance, but confident because we felt like we put our best foot forward and gave ourselves a chance to win. Kit and I had been texting as we waited for the results to come in, and when we found out we won, we were elated. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work. The other teams did a tremendous job,” said Nachmany.
Metoyer agreed, adding, “It was a competitive field, full of gracious competitors, and regardless of the outcome the experience was guaranteed to be special. The virtual environment allowed my family and friends to tune in from all over the country, which made the environment uniquely exciting. We channeled our anticipation into texting while we waited. We were ecstatic when we found out, and it was extra special to share the moment with loved ones that got to watch the competition live virtually. I tip my hat to all of the tremendous schools present.”