Peter Kamakawiwoole ("Coach K") is the head coach of Patrick Henry College’s varsity moot court team. After graduating from Keolahou Christian Academy (est. 1992, Peter & Rhonda Kamakawiwoole; valedictorian of his class of 1) and PHC (where he competed in moot court for four years), Coach K earned his law degree from Saint Louis University’s School of Law, and currently serves as the Director of Litigation and General Counsel for the Home School Legal Defense Association (where he has practiced law since 2011).
Coach K is incredibly blessed to give back to PHC’s moot court program, which he credits for cementing his interest in the law and jumpstarting his career. He appreciates the ability to regularly connect with so many talented PHC alums (who graciously volunteer to coach and judge PHC's varsity squad) and relishes the opportunity to compete vicariously through his students (who keep his mind sharp and fresh, while also providing invaluable insights into the latest trends in language and music).
When not doing law-related tasks, Coach K enjoys listening to podcasts and audiobooks while painting miniatures, studying Greek mythology, cooking "local" dishes from his childhood in Hawaii, celebrating Celtics and Patriots titles (8 and counting), playing a cadre of (mostly Star Wars- and Lord of the Rings-themed) games with his five children, and writing the occasional biography in the third-person.
Logan Spena graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2012. As a student, he captained PHC's moot court and mock trial teams, qualifying for Nationals in moot court all four years and earning 3rd place at Nationals his senior year. Logan graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2016 and spent the next two years in state government, serving as deputy policy director in the Missouri governor's office. He currently works for Alliance Defending Freedom in Lansdowne, VA, where he focuses on constitutional litigation.
Cole Reynolds is a recent graduate of Patrick Henry College, receiving his degree in Government with a track in American Politics and Policy as a part of the class of 2022. While at PHC, Cole competed on the varsity moot court team his sophomore and junior years, earning a bid to nationals his sophomore year and a 3rd place finish in the national brief writing contest on the respondent side. As a volunteer Moot Court Coach, Cole hopes he can give back to the Moot Court program as much as he received as a competitor. Cole currently works for the House Judiciary Committee as a Professional Staff Member. His work for the Committee focuses on issues relating to free speech and government censorship.
Olivia Green graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2024 with a degree in Government and now teaches at a Christian classical academy in the D.C. area. She thoroughly enjoyed her time at PHC and is particularly grateful for the leadership and critical thinking skills that the forensics program cultivated in her. During her time at the college, she competed on the varsity moot court team for three years, receiving speaking awards at each regional tournament she attended and qualifying and competing at nationals. Olivia is grateful for the many coaches who poured into her as a competitor and is excited to similarly support the moot court team this year!
Sarah Fox graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2025 with a degree in Government: Political Theory. She participated in Moot Court all four years at PHC, and was blessed to finish as the 2025 AMCA Moot Court Champion, along with her partner Trinity Klomparens.
Sarah is deeply thankful for her time at PHC. The forensics program pushed her in her speaking, knowledge of the law, and her faith. She now works at a Christian law firm in Leesburg. She is excited to pour back into the forensics community this season through coaching.
Elizabeth Ertle graduated magna cum laude from Patrick Henry College in 2015. Elizabeth went on to earn her J.D., with Honors, from the University of Chicago Law School in 2018. While there, she was a semifinalist in the Hinton Moot Court competition and subsequently served as co-chair of the Hinton competition. Elizabeth was also the Executive Articles Editor for the University of Chicago Legal Forum. At PHC, she participated in mock trial all four years, captaining a team and competing on the team making the school's first appearance at the AMTA National Championship Tournament. Elizabeth also competed in moot court, advancing to elimination rounds all three years at the AMCA National Championship. Elizabeth is excited for the opportunity to give back to the PHC Forensics Program by serving as a volunteer mock trial coach. She currently works as an Associate at Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, D.C.
Luke Argue graduated from PHC in 2023. During his time at PHC, Luke competed in varsity moot court and mock trial for four years. As both an attorney and a character witness, he had the honor of captaining a mock trial team to nationals twice, earning back-to-back honorable mentions. Competing with his mock trial team was one of the most meaningful and fulfilling experiences Luke had while at PHC. By serving as a coach, he hopes to create a similar experience for his team.
James Elliott graduated from PHC in 2024, receiving the Tim LaHaye leadership award. While at PHC, he competed on the varsity moot court team for four years and varsity mock trial team for two. In moot court, he qualified for nationals each year and placed ninth at nationals in his senior year. In mock trial, he received multiple awards as both an attorney and a witness. James is now working in security at General Dynamics. James is very grateful for his coaches at PHC, who poured into him tirelessly and exemplified how to excel at forensics and, more importantly, how to grow as a child of God. He seeks to emulate that dedication in this coaching opportunity.
Nik graduated magna cum laude from PHC in 2025, receiving the Timothy LaHaye Leadership award. While at PHC, Nik studied American Politics and Policy. He served as a Head Resident Assistant, Events Supervisor, Vice-Chair of the APP major, and Vice President of the Federalist Society. Nik also was heavily involved in PHC forensics, competing in all three forensics events while at PHC. However, Nik’s first love was always Mock Trial. Nik competed on two nationals teams, finishing honorable mention both times. As an upperclassman, Nik captained two teams and devoted countless hours to mentoring and developing new mock trial students. Nik currently works as a Program Analyst at the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in Washington, D.C.
Tyler graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2022 with a degree in Economics and Business Analytics and now works at Capital One as a Business Manager. He loved his four years at PHC and, without a doubt, his time competing in forensics and traveling with the team to tournaments was a major highlight. Tyler qualified to the Moot Court national tournament each year and placed 9th in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, he placed 3rd at the Lafayette Debates championship. He’s excited to support the Civic Debate program and see what God does through the team over the coming year!
Ryan McDonald is a PHC alumnus, graduating cum laude in 2016. He was an active participant in collegiate Moot Court and Mock Trial, where he repeatedly represented each branch of PHC forensics at the national level. Ryan received his J.D. from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University in 2019. While there, he was an active member of the Law Review, twice represented the school at the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition, and won both of the school’s intra-school appellate advocacy tournaments. Ryan is now a licensed attorney in the Commonwealth of Virginia and serves as a Legal Advisor to the Enforcement Bureau Chief in the Federal Communications Commission.
Noah graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2023 and treasured each year of his education there. He is passionate about public speaking and competed in a variety of PHC debate formats, including on the PHC Moot Court varsity team for four years where he qualified for nationals three times and placed 3rd in speaker awards at the 2023 Moot Court nationals. His passion for public speaking stems from six years in STOA speech and debate where he competed in two debate formats and over a dozen speech formats, experiencing success in both debate and speech. He finished as the STOA national Apologetics speaking champion in 2019, the runner up STOA Lincoln Douglas Debate national champion in 2018, and 2nd overall in the nation in 2019 for combined speech and debate points. He now serves as a high school Apologetics coach. After seeing God use speech and debate to change his own life, Noah is thrilled to also serve as a PHC Civic Debate coach to see how God works in the upcoming season, awakens the hearts of students involved, and furthers His kingdom.
Dr. Guliuzza "Dr. G" left an indelible legacy with the Patrick Henry College community. During his time at the College, he co-coached ten American Moot Court Association national championship teams (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019). He was the immediate past President of the American Mock Trial Association, and was the past President of the American Moot Court Association. Dr. G also coached nineteen mock trial teams into national competition. He was a former President of the Western Association of Pre-Law Advisors and the Pre-Law Advisors’ National Council. His pre-law students have earned admission, typically with scholarship or other financial support, at dozens of top tier law schools including Harvard, Columbia, and Yale. Dr. G passed away in his sleep on February 26th, 2019. In the words of PHC President Jack Haye, "At this moment, he is in the presence of the LORD and probably reflecting on his Sunday’s Comin’ sermon. Sunday did come for 'Dr. G.' Hopes beyond hopes fulfilled. A life fully lived for God’s Glory." Click here to visit his legacy page.
