Throughout the weekend, team members appreciated the national mock trial community’s “incredible” support, Wyatt said.

“They had a beautiful moment of silence for her, assembled a book of written memories of Angela competing, [were] incredibly accommodating, sent us countless well-wishes and words of encouragement, and cheered for us all the way through the weekend," Wyatt said.

Some competitors went so far as to tell Fields that they would like to see Harvard advance, even if it meant their own teams were eliminated.

Fields said that he was also struck by tournament attendees' standing when Harvard advanced to Nationals.

“It was kind of like Tom Brady cheering on Peyton Manning,” Fields said. “It was strange, but it meant a lot.”

In two weeks, the team will head to Orlando, Fla., for the national competition.

According to Chen, Harvard has almost always placed in the top five but has never clinched the championship.

“If Angela were here right now, she’d be yelling at us, ‘You have to win!’” Fields said.

Wyatt said that competing for Mathew means a lot to the team, regardless of the outcome.

“It’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and there’s nothing more worthy to be fighting for than her."

—Staff writer Maddie Sewani can be reached at maddie.sewani@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @maddiesewani.