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ZONE 5 RIDERS TAKE 75 PERCENT OF BLUE RIBBONS IN ALUMNI DIVISIONS AT 2011 NATIONALS LEXINGTON, KY - If you have never been to an IHSA Nationals event you probably have not seen a copy of the IHSA Nationals Program. Unlike most IHSA show programs the Nationals program cannot be put together with a copier and a stapler. Since 2003 the Nationals program has been thick enough to be built with a spine (usually with writing on the spine indicating which Nationals show it was from). The 2011 IHSA Nationals program contained over 150 pages of information, including entire pages for the entries in each of the 30 classes which took place between May 5th and 8th. If one turns to pages 36 through 39 in the 2011 program one can see nearly all the winners from each IHSA Nationals individual class since 1971. If you look at the winners in the alumni divisions you will note that Middle Tennessee State University has done well in the western classes recently and that riders who graduated from schools in the Northeastern United States have dominated the hunter seat alumni divisions. However in 2009 and 2010 riders from Northeastern schools failed to win either of the hunter seat alumni classes. If you examine both the previous individual alumni flat winners and the previous alumni fences winners you will note that riders who attended a school in the Northeast (we will classify the Northeast as anything east of the Ohio/Pennsylvania border and north of the Virginia/Maryland border, with West Virginia considered part of the south) were able to win in either of these divisions at least once every three years if not far more often. Not once ever has the Northeast been shut out three years in a row in either division. However history was on the line at Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in 2011, as riders from other parts of the country stood the chance of making it three straight in both hunter seat alumni divisions. The first alumni class held during 2011 Nationals was the first class of the day on Friday, May 6th, the alumni over fences. Seven of the sixteen qualified riders graduated from Northeastern schools, with at least two of them former Cacchione Cup entries. None of the nine riders entered from the rest of the country had a prior Cacchione appearance, though one came in on a 'Nationals winning streak.' Kelley Mallery, who was still Kelley Douglas when she won the alumni fences at Nationals on May 7th, 2010, was trying to make it two straight wins in the division. The 1994 Hollins graduate had qualified out of Zone 9, Region 2 in 2010, and with the mid-2010 Zones contraction Mallery showed in Zone 7, Region 4 during the fall. Sometimes the IHSA frowns upon letting riders move from one region to another in the middle of the season. However because Mallery earned enough points to go to Regionals during the fall she was allowed to go to Zone 6 Zones after she and her husband moved from the Chicago area to the Lexington, Kentucky area early in 2011. Since Zone 6, Region 3 did not have hunter seat alumni classes Mallery went straight to Zones, where she won the alumni fences (ironically Zone 6 reserve champion Erica Green, a 2010 Washington & Jefferson College graduate, had moved from Zone 2, Region 1 during the fall to Zone 6, Region 5 in the spring). 2009 State University of New York at Albany graduate Rebecca Danz kicked off the Friday session at 8:06AM, jumping all the fences cleanly for a combined Judge's score of '77.' As had been the case during jumping classes a day earlier the combined scores thus far at 2011 Nationals were substancially lower than at previous Nationals. Nine of the riders received a score of '69' or lower compared with only two last season. Also five alumni riders scored in the '80's last May as opposed to only two this time around. Because Public Address Announcer Kenn Marash read aloud the combined scores of hunter seat Judges Robert Crandall and Kim Dorfman as each rider exited the ring it was not difficult to determine who was leading the division at any given moment. The big question was if Crandall and Dorfman would test anyone. There was clear separation between first and second and between second and third, and it turned out Dorfman and Crandall required no further testing. Marash asked all sixteen riders to return to the ring for the presentation of ribbons. After thanking the six riders who received participation ribbons only Marash announced tenth place for Samantha Gunnison of the University of Georgia. A 2008 graduate, Gunnison received a score of '68.5.' Ninth place went to Green, one of the two former Cacchione competitors and who earned points in two different regions during the regular season. Green earned a score of '69.' Eighth place went to Tara Lynch of the University of Connecticut. The other former Cacchione entry in the group, the 2008 Huskie graduate was the Zone 2 Zone champion in the division. Lynch received a score of '70.' Sarah Bechtel is the first rider in the five-year history of the Lebanon Valley College IHSA program to reach IHSA Nationals. Bechtel, a 2010 graduate who won the division at Zones finished seventh with a judge's score of '72.' Bechtel finished ahead of Chrystal Coffelt-Wood at Zone 3 Zones on April 9th, but on this day Coffelt-Wood was slightly better. A 2005 Kutztown University graduate who now coaches the Penn State University - Berks Campus team, Coffelt-Wood received a '73' score and sixth place. Though unlike Bechtel she was not the first rider in school history to compete at IHSA Nationals, it was the first time for her personally that Kristen Walters competed in the year-end show. The 2010 Mississippi State University graduate was fifth. Walters, who won the division over Gunnison at Zone 5 Zones on April 2nd, received a score of '74.' Coffelt-Wood was not the only IHSA coach to compete in the division. Katie Schaaf, a 2000 Tufts University graduate who had previously competed at Nationals as both an alumni and an undergraduate, was the second of three top ten alumni who currently coach. Schaaf, who led her alma matter to their first Region Title in eleven seasons, was fourth. The Zone 1 Zone champion in the division, Schaaf received a score of '75' after having been granted one of the few re-rides over the course of four days. Danz, who was second to Lynch at Zones, was third as surprisingly only two riders exceeded her '77' score. Sarah Thompson, who graduated from the University of Richmond in the middle of the 2009-10 school year, was the Reserve Champion. Thompson, who coaches her alma matter and who won the division at Zone 4 Zones on April 10th, received a score of '80.'
Mallery, who received a score of '82' remained undefeated over fences at the Kentucky Horse Park. Once Marash had announced there would be no further testing the drama was gone for anyone who had been writing down the scores. Mallery knew she would be the blue ribbon winner, as did Mark Aplin (the Head Coach of the University of Wisconsin at Madison) and Elaine Schott (the former Head Coach of the University of Kentucky). Both were able to pose in the winner's circle with Mallery, as Aplin was her trainer during the fall semester while Schott was her new trainer once she moved to Kentucky (Joleen DeWitt, the Head Coach at Northern Illinois University, was Mallery's trainer when she won last season. However with the Zone contraction Northern Illinois went with a group of schools further to the south while Zone 7, Region 4 held more shows closer to the Chicagoland area. Therefore Mallery stayed closer to home at the time). With the win Mallery became the second rider to win the division twice (1993 Drew University graduate Sandra Sayre won the division in both 2000 and 2001. Ironically Sayre was undefeated at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, Georgia, the site of both wins). With Jennifer Hutson of Miami University of Ohio having won alumni fences in 2009 Mallery's win marked the first time ever that riders from schools located outside the Northeast had put together three straight wins in a hunter seat alumni class at IHSA Nationals (statistics and record books are a dangerous thing! - Editor). Perhaps to the delight of most alumni, all three of the remaining alumni divisions took place on Saturday, May 7th. Most if not all of the alumni have obligations to an employer during the week, which makes scheduling the alumni classes on the weekend that much more helpful. The alumni flat class was the fifth class of the day, and it perhaps seemed later than that due to the Cacchione Cup presentation ceremony having taken place between the second and third classes. Mallery, Schaaf, Lynch, Green, Gunnison, 2010 University of Southern California graduate Julia Turner and 2011 Truman State University graduate Joanna Russell were all back from the alumni fences division to have another shot at the ribbons (Russell used up her eight semesters of IHSA eligiblity at the conclusion of the 2009-10 season). Riders walked and trotted without incident but at the canter one of the riders fell off. The horse she was riding came from the same facility as the one 1989 Virginia Intermont College graduate Ashton Phillips was riding, and the horse that was suddenly free of a rider made a bee-line right into the horse Phillips was riding! Phillips was forced to dismount as well. After everyone else halted and both horses were led away, two new horses were brought out and the class started over from scratch. This time riders were able to walk, trot and canter in each direction without incident. As had been the case with the other flat classes held this day all but the top ten were excused before the remaining riders were put through a few more gyrations. Eventually these ten riders were asked to line up and dismount. All 16 riders lined up against the temporary fence and Marash announced the placings. Tenth place went to 2008 Cal Poly - Pomona graduate Jessica Bower, who was making her first appearance of any kind at a IHSA National show. Though Bower won alumni flat at Zone 9 Zones it was runner-up Julia Turner who was one place higher this time around. Turner, who competed at 2009 IHSA Nationals in team novice over fences for the Trojans and who had finished out of the ribbons a day earlier placed ninth. During horse draw Purdue University graduate Lauren Sappenfield told this writer she graduated in 2003. Strangely our notes in the 2009 IHSA Nationals program show Sappenfield as having graduated in 2004! In any event Sappenfield was eighth in alumni flat. Mallery warned us before the flat class that she is much better over fences. This proved to be true as Mallery was seventh. 2008 University of Connecticut graduate Amy Kriwitsky won the alumni flat class at Zone 2 Zones on April 9th. Kriwitsky, who now coaches a Trinity College team which competes against her old UConn team, equaled her 2010 Nationals alumni fences placing with a sixth. Schaaf slipped one place to fifth while everyone let out their yearly gasp when Phillips was fourth. Phillips, who is coach for both the New York University and Princeton University equestrian teams (which are in different regions) has set the all-time IHSA record for consecutive appearances at IHSA Nationals shows. Phillips has competed in at least one alumni class at every IHSA National show starting with the 2002 event hosted by Cazenovia College. Save for Phillips no rider has ever put together such a streak without missing a year here or there. Though Phillips has ridden at ten straight Nationals he has never won an alumni class at the year-end show. Phillips trained Sandra Sayre (before she went off to Drew), who has won more alumni classes than anyone at IHSA Nationals. Schaaf also trained under Phillips before she headed off to Tufts. 2007 University of Pennsylvania graduate Jess Schatz made her first IHSA Nationals appearance a memorable one, placing third. Schatz rode for four years as an undergraduate and an additional four as an alumni before finally making it through both rounds of playoffs. Lynch, who was second to Kriwitsky in the division at Zones, was the Reserve Champion. Ironically Lynch has a streak of her own going, having placed second in alumni flat at 2010 IHSA Nationals.
Though her prior IHSA Nationals appearances resulted in finishing out of the ribbons in individual open flat in 2006 and alumni fences in 2009 (when she was off course) Gunnison accomplished something that many in the ring had been trying to do for years. Gunnison was the first rider to hear her name called on Friday (at least when Marash got to the part where actual ribbons were being divied out) and the last one to hear her name on Saturday. With her parents in attendance, Gunnison became the first person associated with the University of Georgia IHSA program ever to win a class at Nationals. With Michael Lenard of Northern Illinois having won alumni flat in 2010 and Hailey Quirk of Cal Poly - Pomona having won it the year before the Northeast schools had been shut out of first place in the alumni divisions a third straight year on the flat (as had been the case on Friday seven of the sixteen riders were from Northeastern schools). The University of Georgia is a Zone 5 school, and with Gunnison's win Zone 5 would be on their way to continued alumni success at 2011 Nationals. Though the show program will note that alumni western horsemanship followed alumni flat there was actually a lengthy break between the two divisions for the yearly Parade of Teams, the presentation of the hunter seat team awards, schooling of western horses and a dragging of the ring. Eventually it was time for each of the twelve horsemanship riders to enter the ring. Everyone walked, jogged and loped until western Judges Holly Hover and Chris Kozlowski instructed Marash to announce to the riders that it was time to line up. At that point the cones were spread out and riders performed the alumni horsemanship pattern one at a time. After this process was completed all twelve riders dismounted, horse handlers removed the horses, and each of the twelve riders lined up against the temporary fence (which separates the holding area from the ring itself) for the awards presentation. Tenth place went to Lauren Allen of North Georgia College and State University. Though Allen is not the first North Georgia rider in program history to qualify for Nationals she is the first to earn a top ten ribbon. Making her IHSA Nationals debut, Robin Hartle of West Virginia University was ninth. Peggy Leonowich-Graham was not new to IHSA Nationals. The 1984 United States Military Academy graduate had finished out of the ribbons in alumni horsemanship last season but moved up to eighth in 2011. University of Kentucky graduate Megan Carter moved down in a year's time, having been fourth in the division a year ago but now chosen seventh. What are the odds of a rider earning the same ribbon in the same division ten years apart? Probably not good, but in Joanne Coniglio's case this is what happened. The Delaware Valley College western coach who graduated from the school in Doylestown, Pennsylvania in 1994 was sixth in alumni western on May 6th, 2001 and again May 7th, 2011! The only difference is she was sixth under her maiden name Joanne Stagliano in 2001 (she was second in alumni reining on May 6th of that year as well in what was then her IHSA Nationals western debut). Former Bucks County Community College rider Alexis Plavocos won both alumni classes at the Canyon, Texas semifinal in March. Plavocos was fifth this time around. Ohio University - Southern Campus graduate Brittany Swartzwelder was third in alumni horsemanship at the Findlay, Ohio Semifinal (behind Carter and semifinal champion Amanda Peterson of the University of Minnesota at Crookston). Swartzwelder was fourth, the December 2009 graduate moving down one place from her 2010 Nationals ribbon. Though Middle Tennessee State University is known for having more than a fair share of western riders competing at most IHSA Nationals, the 2011 year-end event was the first for Stacey Bailey (at least a quick look at the Nationals programs from 2005 to 2010 did not show Bailey entered - Editor). The 2009 Blue Raider graduate was third. Though not as dramatic a time difference as Coniglio/Stagliano's, Misty Hobbs of West Texas A & M was the 2011 Reserve Champion one day shy of a year after she was 2010 alumni horsemanship Reserve Champion! The 2002 Buffs graduate who received her masters in 2006 finished second between Plavocos and Coniglio at the Canyon, Texas Semifinal. While it is unclear if any former Cacchione Cup rider had ever gone on to win an alumni western class at IHSA Nationals prior to today there is at least one case of this happening that can now be documented. Samantha Erwin, a 2010 Murray State University graduate, was out of the ribbons in the 2009 Cacchione class in Murfreesboro, Tennessee but tenth that year in individual open flat. Erwin, who won both alumni classes at the Springfield, Missouri semifinal, added another Nationals ribbon to her collection. Erwin, who rode more often in hunter seat classes than in western as an undergraduate, won the 2011 alumni horsemanship division at Alltech Arena. Murray State is located in Zone 5, Region 1 so yet again a Zone 5 rider won an alumni class. For the fifth time since 2003 the alumni horsemanship division had gone to a Zone 5, Region 1 rider, with Erwin the first non-MTSU rider from Region 1 to win this class. Three classes later came the Alumni Reining division. Though usually held at the end of the second day of IHSA Nationals, the schedule changed slightly for 2011 with Alumni Reining the final class on day three of the event. All seven of the riders who participated in Alumni Reining had also competed in in the alumni horsemanship division earlier in the day. One-by-one each rider took their turn performing the reining pattern, with Marash announcing the combined scores of Kozlowski and Hover after each was at the out-gate. After Swartzwelder went fourth there was perhaps the most unusual break during any class in IHSA Nationals history. The show was intentionally stopped so that the Kentucky Derby could be shown on a big screen at the far end of the arena! Taking place at nearby Churchill Downs (which forced many to shell out more for hotel rooms than a year ago when the Derby was a week earlier) a horse named 'Animal Kingdom' defied his 16 to 1 odds and won the first leg of the triple crown. 20 minutes after Swartzwelder had left the ring, Bailey went fifth. As was the case with the alumni over fences anyone could write down the judge's scores and figure out who might win. Eventually everyone returned to the ring for the awards. Seventh place went to Hobbs, who had received a score of '119.5.' Hobbs was very consistant over two shows in Alltech Arena, having placed second in both alumni western classes and seventh both times in alumni reining. Carter was sixth in the division for a second consecutive season, with a score of '124.5.' The remaining five riders were completely different from the 2010 event. Coniglio was fifth with a score of '126' while Swartzwelder, who won the class at Semifinals, was fourth with a '128.' Erwin could not make it two blue ribbons in one day, receiving a score of '132' for third place. Though Coniglio was unable to earn a reserve champion ribbon like at '01 Nationals in Conyers, Georgia, Plavocos represented the same region (Zone 3, Region 2) with the same second place red ribbon. Plavocos received a score of '134.'
Though Bailey had finished behind Erwin at the Springfield Semifinal (in a class of only two riders), the Warsaw, Ohio resident once again put Middle Tennessee State into the winner's circle during an alumni class. Bailey's score of '138.5' was clearly the winner, meaning that save for 2008 at least one Middle Tennessee State rider has won a western alumni class every year since 2006. One could say that Middle Tennessee State's alumni riders are as much a reason as any that schools from the Northeast have not come away with a blue ribbon in an alumni class since 2008. --Steve Maxwell The following is a list of the Alumni Class-by-Class Results from 2011 IHSA Nationals, held in the Indoor Equestrian Event Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Alumni Fences was held on Friday, May 6th while Alumni Flat, Alumni Western Horsemanship (also known as Alumni Rail) and Alumni Reining were held on Saturday, May 7th. The judges for all 2011 IHSA Nationals hunter seat classes were Robert Crandall and Kim Dorfman while the judges for all western classes were Chris Kozlowski and Holly Hover. Individual Alumni Equitation Over Fences: 1. Kelley Douglas Mallery, Hollins University. 2. Sarah Thompson, University of Richmond. 3. Rebecca Danz, State University of New York at Albany. 4. Katie Schaaf, Tufts University. 5. Kristen Walters, Mississippi State University. 6. Chrystal Coffelt Wood, Kutztown University. 7. Sarah Bechtel, Lebanon Valley College. 8. Tara Lynch, University of Connecticut. 9. Erica Green, Washington & Jefferson College. 10. Samantha Gunnison, University of Georgia. Individual Alumni Equitation On The Flat: 1. Sammantha Gunnison, University of Georgia. 2. Tara Lynch, University of Connecticut. 3. Jess Schatz, University of Pennsylvania. 4. Ashton Phillips, Virginia Intermont College. 5. Katie Schaaf, Tufts University. 6. Amy Kriwitsky, University of Connecticut. 7. Kelley Douglas Mallery, Hollins University. 8. Lauren Sappenfield, Purdue University. 9. Julia Turner, University of Southern California. 10. Jessica Bower, Cal Poly - Pomona. Alumni Western Horsemanship: 1. Samantha Erwin, Murray State University. 2. Misty Hobbs, West Texas A & M University. 3. Stacey Bailey, Middle Tennessee State University. 4. Brittany Swartzwelder, Ohio University - Southern Campus. 5. Alexis Plavocos, Bucks County Community College. 6. Joanne Coniglio, Delaware Valley College. 7. Megan Carter, University of Kentucky. 8. Peggy Leonowich - Graham, United States Military Academy. 9. Robin Hartle, West Virginia University. 10. Lauren Allen, North Georgia College and State University. Alumni Reining: 1. Stacey Bailey, Middle Tennessee State University. 2. Alexis Plavocos, Bucks County Community College. 3. Samantha Erwin, Murray State University. 4. Brittany Swartzwelder, Ohio University - Southern Campus. 5. Joanne Coniglio, Delaware Valley College. 6. Megan Carter, University of Kentucky. 7. Misty Hobbs, West Texas A & M University.
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