The St. Mary’s University School of Law National Moot Court Team has won a national championship.

The team won the 20th Annual Leroy R. Hassell Sr. National Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition last month, the university said in a news release.

Coach Ricky J. Poole credited the win to smart and motivated students, exhaustive preparation and a “tempered confidence” to communicate their message, the news release said.

“COVID-19 has added a fourth ingredient — the necessity to present persuasive arguments remotely with appropriate technology,” Poole said. “We have addressed this new technological challenge by trying to replicate a face-to-face, in-person round as much as possible while relying on our cameras, microphones, lights and laptops.”

Despite the extra challenges, “the intrinsic skills for a winning appellate argument remain unchanged: Focus the court’s attention not on the advocate but on the message and have a persuasive conversation with the court,” the coach said.