Tax Team Triumphs in Buffalo

Coach Calls Their Performance "Unbelievable"

Photo by Izon Productions Gonzaga's winning 2010 Mugel Tax Moot Court team (from left): Chris Crago (co-coach), Tyson Dobbs, Ryan Armentrout, Colin Willenbrock, Kristal McCollum, Jason Gray, and Laura Miller.

The weekend of February 25-27, three teams from Gonzaga Law swept the field in the 2010 Mugel Tax Moot Court Competition.

The Mugel competition is the oldest and largest tax law moot court competition in the country. This year, six GU Law students traveled to Buffalo, New York, to participate. They are Ryan Armentrout, Tyson Dobbs, Jason Gray, Kristal McCollum, Laura Miller, and Colin Willenbrock.

Coached by Professor Ann Murphy and adjunct faculty member Chris Crago (an associate at Winston & Cashatt), the GU teams won first, second, and third places (tie with Quinnipiac Law School) in the overall competition, Best Brief and Best Oralist honors, and the Third Best Brief award.

Photo by Izon Productions In the final round, two GU teams squared off against one another. Here, Kristal McCollum argues her case.

Among them, the teams lost just one round to a non-Gonzaga competitor.

“It was an unbelievable performance,” Prof. Murphy said.

The team standings were:

• First Place Team (overall): Ryan Armentrout and Tyson Dobbs - Gonzaga
• Second Place Team (overall): Kristal McCollum and Colin Willenbrock - Gonzaga
• Third Place Team (overall) (tied with Quinnipiac School of Law): Jason Gray and Laura Miller - Gonzaga
• Best Oralist (overall): Colin Willenbrock - Gonzaga
• Best Brief (overall): Ryan Armentrout and Tyson Dobbs - Gonzaga
• Third Best Brief (overall): Jason Gray and Laura Miller - Gonzaga

GU’s success was the result of a team effort and plenty of preparation, said Prof. Murphy.

“Chris Crago spent hours working with the teams and his colleagues at Winston & Cashatt were equally supportive,” she said. GU faculty members volunteered to judge the team’s practice sessions.

“These teams worked incredibly hard and worked together so well – it was a joy to be a part of their academic lives,” she said. “Big thanks to all of our colleagues both here and at area law firms for acting as practice judges for us.”

"Their accomplishments reflect the hard work they put into the competition," Crago added. "It was exciting for me to see all of them achieve such success."

The problem created for the competition was particularly complicated, he said.

"It involved estate and gift taxes, and some of the team members had not yet taken Estate and Gift Taxes; their success is a testament to their dedication."

Team unity key

Team unity was the key to the school’s success, said Murphy: “It was inspirational.”

When a change in the rules threatened to limit GU’s participation to four students on a total of two teams, Ryan Armentrout and Tyson Dobbs, both of whom had competed last year, volunteered to step aside.

“That’s the kind of people they are,” Prof. Murphy said.

Even the competition took notice. In an email to then-Dean Earl Martin, Barry Kozak, coach of the John Marshall Law School team, wrote: “ ... as a fellow faculty coach, I just wanted to stress to you the maturity, professionalism, integrity, and humility exhibited by all six of your students ... each individually, and collectively, really represented the best of the profession, and were great ambassadors for your fine law school.”

The university even heard from an employee at United Airlines in Denver, who wrote to compliment members of the teams on their exemplary behavior while they were grounded in Denver for seven hours on their way back to Gonzaga.

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