TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Laura Labenberg on May 11, 2026

The Tennessee State High School Mock Trial champion team from Agathos Classical School in Columbia earned an impressive third-place finish at the national competition in Des Moines, Iowa, last week. The team opened the tournament with victories over competitors from Guam, Iowa and Pennsylvania before narrowly falling to Utah in the fourth round — their only loss of the season — by the vote of a single juror. Coached by Jason Whatley, Cory Ricci and Luke Worsham, the school is celebrating its 10th season. It captured the Tennessee State Championship for the third time in March. The team previously earned a third place national finish before winning the national championship in 2019. In addition, Manhattan Thouin was recognized as one of the competition’s top attorneys. The teams from Florida and Georgia took first and second place respectively. To learn more about the mock trial competition sponsored by the TBA Young Lawyers Division, visit the TBA website.

From left: Jason Whatley, Luke Worsham, Manhattan Thouin, Cory Ricci

Coaches and students from Agathos Classical School at the National Competition Awards Ceremony

Coaches and students from Agathos Classical School at the National Competition's pin exchange