Following four rounds of competition, it was official: the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science prosecution team was named Ocean County Mock Trial champions, earning a place in the regional finals later this month.

Jennifer Hudak, one of the mock trial coaches for MATES, in Manahawkin, described the scene at the start of the trial: “As anxious observers filed into historic courtroom 1 of the Ocean County Courthouse, there was a tangible buzz of excitement in the air.