Katie Shanahan Helps UW-Platteville Mediation Team Win National Championship

2011 Dec 16

UW-Platteville had eight competitors in two teams at the national championships, including Katie Shanahan, a senior from Monticello Iowa.

The UW-Platteville championship mediation team consisted of Katie Shanahan, Jennifer Hess, Chaz Nichols and William Kuehni. The team had four rounds in which it competed, winning all four and finishing the competition with a perfect record of 4-0.

Shanahan and Hess combined to win an All-American award as advocate and client, respectively, carrying a $6,000 continuing scholarship at Drake Law School. Their performance helped lead the team to a seventh place trophy in the advocacy division.

A second UW-Platteville mediation team also competed at the national championship. The second team consisted of Matt Jacopelli, Cody Bales, Adam Hendryx and Ryan Parr. With a record of four wins and two losses, including a win over the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the team took sixth place in the mediation division. Bales won an All-American Award as mediator, carrying a $6,000 continuing scholarship to Drake Law School.

"We have had a mediation team for the past 12 years, and this was by far the best performance ever by our students," said John Rink, professor of political science and founder of the UW-Platteville mediation team. "I couldn't be more proud of them. It's just been great."

For more information on the UW-Platteville mediation team, contact Rink at (608) 342-1795 or rink@uwplatt.edu.