Matt Vasquez of Romeoville Helps Lewis Team Dominate at Peacemaker Challenge

The Lewis University Mediation Team—buoyed by the performance of Romeoville resident Matt Vasquez—opened its season with a dominating performance in the 12th Annual Peacemaker Challenge Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin, Platteville. Lewis won 13 of the 18 awards-two team and 11 individual. The team finished in at least fourth place in every team category.

A new competition category, Conference Mediation, was introduced this year. Competition in Caucus Mediation, the traditional category, remains as the majority technique of competition. The Lewis team of Lexi Austring, Olivia Estrada, Jake Garringer and Collin Kent won the Conference Mediation Championship. Austring, Estrada and Kent earned first place in the Advocacy Division and Garringer placed in Mediation Division.

In the traditional competition, team portion, the team of Austring, Estrada, Garringer and Kent took third place in Mediation and fourth place in Advocacy. The Lewis team of Bridgette Ferreira, Shannon Lukowski, Ashley Patek and Matt Vasquez took second in Advocacy and fourth in Mediation.

In individual portion, Estrada took first and Garringer second in Mediation. In Advocacy, Vasquez, Patek and Lukowski took second; while Ferreira, Lukowski and Patek also took third.

By rule, schools were only allowed to enter two teams, so the third team of Ying Gao, Moon Joo and Samantha Ryczek were unable to participate in the competition but assisted in observing and identifying points to improve the play.

Vasquez is a junior at Lewis University and is studying Political Science.

The entire team plans to participate in the next competition Oct. 25 – 26 at the Maharishi University of Management Invitational in Fairfield, Iowa.

Dr. Jim Houlihan, professor of Justice, Law, and Public Safety Studies, is the head coach. Angela Henderson, attorney at Henderson Law and Mediation Center in Joliet and Joseph Volin, alumnus and assistant director of Lewis Alumni Relations, coach the team.