Campus Equestrian: Zone 1, Region 3 Home Page

IHSA ZONE 1 - REGION 3

Seen here after placing second in intermediate flat at the December 2023 Holiday Tournament of Champions invitational, Kirina Duenwald of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst finished on top of the Region 3 hunter seat open rider standings in 2025-26. A senior from Redding, Connecticut, Duenwald overtook Hallie Phillips of Mount Holyoke (who technically completed her senior year after the fall semester) to claim first place by eleven points. UMass had their best season since 2008, as the Minutemen led the Region 3 team standings by a point following the February 28th Springfield show. Though Mount Holyoke re-took the lead the next day this was the first time in 18 years UMass had led at any time following the winter break.

Seen here after placing third in introductory equitation at the September 2025 Pre-Season Tournament of Champions Invitational, Shutong "Lia" Liang was one of 20 Mount Holyoke College riders to qualify for either English or Western Regionals. From Beijing, China, Liang concluded her senior year in South Hadley with a third in individual intro at Zone 1 Zones on April 4th.

Anherst College finished third in the eleven team hunter seat region behind the Lyons and the Minutemen. Head coach Mara Niefer (on right) is seen here with Amaia Williams of the Mammoths, a freshman from New York City who pointed out of intermediate flat in her first season. Williams was one of five Amherst riders to qualify for Regionals in '26.

Fourteen points behind Amherst in the standings was fourth place Bentley University. Isobel Boettcher of the Falcons (on left, with head coach Tamara Johnston) qualified for Zones in two divisions. Also hailing from New York City, Boettcher (pronounced "Bet-cher") was sixth in indivudual open fences and seventh in individual intermediate flat at Zone 1 Zones on April 4th to close out her junior year.

If you list the Region 3 schools in alphabetical order you will see a pattern forming. Amherst was third, Bentley was fourth, Mount Holyoke goes against the grain by placing first, and then Smith College comes next and placed fifth overall. Six Smith riders qualified for Regionals including Rainbow Gu (pictured). A senior from Shanghai, China, Gu pointed out of both limit divisions in 2025-26.

Sixth overall and next in alphabetical order was Springfield College. Save for the photo of Liang all of the outdoor photos currently on this page were taken at the November 2, 2025 Trinity College show including this one of Samantha Duarte (on left) and Pride head coach Naomi Haney. From Scituate, Rhode Island, Duarte holds a flyer related to a Springfield fundraiser. Duarte is yet another freshman that was able to qualify for Regionals (getting to 36 points in your first year on a team in only nine shows is not an easy thing to do). Duarte qualified for Regionals in novice equitation.

Breaking down the Mount Holyoke College Regional Qualifiers numbers 15 riders qualified in English divisions, four qualified in Western divisions and one qualified in both. Among the 15 who qualified exclusively in hunter seat is Charlie May (pictured). One of the team captains in 2025-26 the senior from Stockton, New Jersey pointed out of both limit divisions. May was one of seven to ride in limit fences and one of 13 to ride in limit flat at Regionals March 8th in Sterling, Massachusetts.

There is plenty to write about Maya Corbyn of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Seen here with Minutemen head coach Kathy Roberts, Corbyn (on right) finished third behind Duenwald and Phillips in the Region 3 hunter seat open rider standings. The senior from Newbury, New Hampshire qualified through to Zone 1 Zones in both individual open flat and individual intermediate over fences, placing third in both on April 4th. And Corbyn was a blue ribbon winner in the open flat class an hour after this photo was taken on November 2nd.

The Worcester Polytechnic Institute head coach looks very familiar. Didn't we see her telling the Bentley riders a thing or two? Indeed Tamara Johnston is the head coach of both programs. On the left is Danielle Nykyforchyn of WPI, a senior from Waterford, Connecticut who qualified for Regionals in limit flat. Nykyforchyn was the only WPI rider above the novice level to qualify for '26 Regionals.

Luna Hubbell of Worcester State University is seen here relaxing prior to placing second in novice equitation at Folly Farm in Simsbury, Connecticut on November 2nd. A sophomore from Rutland, Massachusetts, Hubbell later pointed out of novice, which proved to be the largest division at Regionals on March 8th. 23 Region 3 riders qualified in novice, which when compared to other regions made it among the largest Regional Classes held at any of the 36 IHSA hunter seat regional shows nationwide.

The only Region 3 hunter seat team located in the state of Connecticut is Trinity College. And Amy Krywitsky (on right) coaches the Bantams. On the left is Caroline Jepsen of Trinity, a senior from Ipswitch, Massachusetts who qualified for Regionals in both limit divisions. Trinity trains at Folly Farm, which is the southernmost facility that Region 3 visited for an official IHSA hunter seat show during the 2025-26 season.

Here is the oldest photo currently on display on the Zone 1, Region 3 page. It dates back to the October 29, 2022 Mount Holyoke show. And in the photo we see UMass coach Roberts with Sophie Schneider of the Minutemen. Yet another rider from New York City, Schneider had just won her first IHSA blue ribbon, placing first in limit fences. Fast-forward to early 2026 and Schneider (on right) qualified for Regionals in intermediate flat. Schneider is one of 16 UMass hunter seat and two western riders to qualify for Regionals this season.

Lili Evans of Mount Holyoke College (on left) is known primarily as a Western rider. But last season Evans was a late substitution at 2025 IHSA Nationals in the team open over fences division. From Groton, Massachusetts, Evans was seventh in the division. Because the scoring system is different at IHSA Nationals (with riders receiving ten points for a first place ribbon all the way down to a half point for tenth) Evans added three points to the Lyon's total of 23 which resulted in eighth place overall. Seen here with her Father after earning those three points Evans will ride three times at 2026 IHSA Nationals: In the individual Western high point open rider competition, the individual open reining and the individual open western horsemanship division, the latter of which Evans won at the Findlay, Ohio Semifinal on March 21st.

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The Zone 1, Region 3 Smorgasbord

Schools which competed in Zone 1, Region 3 during the 2025-2026 school year: Amherst College, Bentley University, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Trinity College, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Westfield State University, Williams College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Worcester State University.

Winter/Spring 2026 Show Schedule for Zone 1, Region 3:

Sunday, February 15 University of Connecticut (Host) at Skyz The Limit Performance Horses, South Windsor, CT 11:00AM WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, February 28 Springfield College (Host) at Lighthouse Hill Stables, East Windsor, CT 9:30AM ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, February 28 Zone 1, Region 3/4 Western Regionals at Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center, South Hadley, MA Time TBA WESTERN ONLY

Sunday, March 1 Williams College (Host) at Bonnie Lea Farm, Williamstown, MA 10:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, March 7 Mount Holyoke College (Host) at Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center, South Hadley, MA Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Sunday, March 8 Zone 1, Region 3 Hunter Seat Regionals at Windstar Farm, Sterling, MA Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, March 21 WESTERN SEMIFINALS - DAY 1 Hosted by the University of Findlay at the University of Findlay Equine Animal Science Center, Findlay, OH Time TBA WESTERN ONLY

Sunday, March 22 WESTERN SEMIFINALS - DAY 2 Hosted by the University of Findlay at the University of Findlay Equine Animal Science Center, Findlay, OH Time TBA WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, April 4 ZONE 1 ZONES at Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center, South Hadley, MA Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Friday through Sunday, May 1 - 3 IHSA NATIONALS at Tryon International Equestrian Center, Mill Spring, NC Time each day TBA ENGLISH AND WESTERN

The University of Connecticut, which shows hunter seat in Zone 1, Region 4 shows western in Zone 1, Region 3. Colgate University, which shows hunter seat in Zone 2, Region 3, shows western in Zone 1, Region 3. Show Schedule subject to change.

Recent Region 3 Team Champions

Hunter Seat:

1997 - Mount Holyoke College
1998 - Mount Holyoke College
1999 - Mount Holyoke College
2000 - Mount Holyoke College (1999-2000
IHSA Hunter Seat National Champions)
2001 - Mount Holyoke College
2002 - Mount Holyoke College
2003 - Mount Holyoke College
2004 - Mount Holyoke College
2005 - Mount Holyoke College
2006 - Mount Holyoke College (2005-06
IHSA Hunter Seat National Champions)
2007 - Mount Holyoke College
2008 - University of Massachusetts at Amherst
2009 - Mount Holyoke College
2010 - Mount Holyoke College
2011 - Mount Holyoke College
2012 - Mount Holyoke College
2013 - Mount Holyoke College
2014 - Mount Holyoke College
2015 - Mount Holyoke College
2016 - Mount Holyoke College
2017 - Mount Holyoke College
2018 - Mount Holyoke College
2019 - Mount Holyoke College
2020 - Mount Holyoke College
2022 - Mount Holyoke College
2023 - Mount Holyoke College
2024 - Mount Holyoke College
2025 - Mount Holyoke College
2026 - Mount Holyoke College

Western (started in Region 3 Fall 2008):

2009 - University of Massachusetts at Amherst
2010 - University of Massachusetts at Amherst
2011 - Mount Holyoke College
2012 - Mount Holyoke College
2013 - Mount Holyoke College
2014 - Mount Holyoke College
2015 - Sacred Heart University
2016 - Sacred Heart University
2017 - Sacred Heart University
2018 - Mount Holyoke College
2019 - Sacred Heart University
2020 - University of Massachusetts at Amherst
2022 - Mount Holyoke College
2023 - Mount Holyoke College
2024 - Mount Holyoke College
2025 - Mount Holyoke College
2026 - Mount Holyoke College

Regional Qualifiers

Open Level Rider Standings

Team Standings

ZONE 1 NEIGHBORS

Region 1 Homepage

Region 2 Homepage

Region 4 Homepage

Region 5 Homepage