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RACE FOR SECOND PLACE GOES DOWN TO FINAL TEAM CLASS AT ZONE 1 ZONES South Hadley, MA - It is amazing that year after year the Zone 1 Zones team competition does not disappoint (unless of course the team you are rooting for does not advance to IHSA Nationals). For the 13th time in 14 years the race for at least second place was still in doubt going into the final team class. And when that class had been completed one school appeared to be taking a full team to IHSA Nationals for the first time in seven seasons. As has been the case since 2000, four different teams competed for the top two scores and a trip to IHSA Nationals. Brown University represented Zone 1, Region 1, where the Bears finally opened up breathing room versus the University of Rhode Island through the ninth of ten shows. The University of Vermont trailed the University of New Hampshire at the winter break, but won each of the two spring shows by narrow margins to capture Zone 1, Region 2 high point team honors. Mount Holyoke College had it relatively easy compared to the other Zone 1 regions, leading by double digits at the break and slowly widening the lead to 38 points over a very good University of Massachusetts at Amherst team in Zone 1, Region 3. And then there was Stonehill College, which appeared to take a full team to IHSA Nationals during 2009 Zone 1 Zones only to find out that one rider had incorrectly ridden at a lower level. Stonehill not only did not take a full team to 2009 Nationals, the Sky Hawks were assessed a two show penalty in 2009-10. In spite of not being able to submit a point card at the first two shows of the season, the Sky Hawks averaged over 40 points per show in the seven Zone 1, Region 4 shows that they were allowed to submit a card. And despite having to make up a 50-plus point defecit at the mid-season break Stonehill rallied to tie Boston University for high point team at 289-all. The tiebreaker went to Stonehill, which won five of the nine Region 4 shows outright.
By rallying to take first place in Region 4, the four-way team competition was made up of the exact same four schools as at last year's Zones show (this is only the second time since the mid 1990's that all the Zone 1 schools in the team competition made it back from one season to the next - Editor). Aside from the schools in the team competition, 18 other schools had at least one undergraduate or alumni enterred in the ten individual classes. And though it did not count for anything other than practice there was also a Cacchione Cup class featuring the riders who emerged from all four regions as having received the most combined open flat and open fences points. Scheduled to start at 10:00AM the show started at exactly that time, with Allegra Aron of Brown University first into the ring for individual open fences. After all eight riders had jumped the course (the top two riders from each division at Regionals), Judge Leo Conroy called back four of them to test. During the test one rider made the mistake of approching one of the jumps from the opposite direction of how it was jumped during the initial trip. Part of the confusion may have come about because the jump appeared to be a simple right turn after another jump but was actually to have been ridden all the way around and approached from a more difficult angle. When everyone was invited back for the awards first place went to Quinn Traendly of Stonehill College. A senior from Hope Valley, Rhode Island, Traendly had perhaps the best hand gallop during the test. Also going to Nationals was runner-up Lauren Duffee. A senior from Stoneham, Massachusetts, Duffee is the first-known rider in College of the Holy Cross program history to advance to IHSA Nationals. The first team class was also the open fences. Though Traendly was also showing here Judge Conroy opted to test two other riders (still the test could have been for second and third place). Conroy asked Lindsay Sceats of Mount Holyoke College and Reese Green of the University of Vermont to go over five fences at varying speeds including the trot, canter and hand gallop. When it was over Sceats had given Mount Holyoke an early 7-5 lead over Green and Vermont, with Stonehill at four points and Brown at three.
Following team open fences was the jumping phase of the Cacchione Cup division (referred to in the program as the Zone 1 High Point Rider Championship). Three of the four riders enterred (Elizabeth Gilberti of Brown, Green of Vermont and Sceats of Mount Holyoke) were riding in their third consecutive class of the day. With all four riders (Eileen McNamara of Wheaton College being the fourth) riding at the end of the day in the flat phase no scores were given out at the time. Individual intermediate fences was the fourth class of the day. Once again Conroy tested four riders over a specific set of jumps though none were asked to hand gallop. As was the case throughout the day the placings were announced from eighth back to first. The last two riders to hear their names were Elizabeth Tripp of Mount Holyoke College and Melissa Groher of Connecticut College. Tripp, a junior from Rutland, Massachusetts, won the division and became the first of (surprisingly only) two Mount Holyoke riders to qualify for Nationals on an individual basis. Groher was the first Region 1 rider of the day to advance and the only Conn College Camel as it turned out. From South Glastonbury, Connecticut, Groher and her Mother felt it was her number that brought good luck. Groher wore number 133 (all riders at Zones received new numbers which differed from their numbers worn throughout the regular season), a similar number to 33 which is what Groher's Mother wore when playing for the University of Connecticut's Woman's Basketball team in the 1980's. Groher's Mother was at UConn when the Woman's Basketball program was just starting to take off. For those who are not aware, the Lady Huskies went undefeated while capturing back-to-back NCAA National Championships over the past two seasons! Team intermediate over fences followed, with three of the four riders asked to test. Some wondered if Conroy might be testing for second, but this was not in fact the case. Risa Reichelt, a University of Vermont freshman from Portland, Oregon gave the Cattamounts the lead with a first. Rachel Foster, a Stonehill senior from Townsend, Massachusetts was reserve. Through two team classes it was Vermont 12, Mount Holyoke 11, Stonehill 9 and Brown 6. The individual alumni over fences was the sixth class of the day. Made up of only five riders (there have been no alumni classes in Zone 1, Region 2 for over a decade while only one rider in Region 4 cleared 28 points in the division), four were tested. Amy Kriwitsky, a University of Connecticut graduate from Bristol, Connecticut, won to reach Nationals for the first time as either an undergrad or an alum. "I never qualified for Nationals as an undergrad, not even for Zones," said Kriwitsky after the win. 2002 Smith College graduate Clare Hey (now Clare Hey-Humphreys) was reserve. This was Hey-Humphreys' first season riding alumni and we are still checking the old programs to see if she ever qualified for Nationals as an undergraduate.
The individual novice fences provided one minor controversy. Rebecca Rossi of Stonehill appeared to finish the class, but the crowd applause caused her draw to spook. The horse abruptly halted, sending Rossi over the front of the horse. At some IHSA shows the rider would be penalized for an "Unauthorized Dismount" but would still receive a placing. However in Rossi's case though she finished the course before falling the decision (this writer is unsure whether it was the Judge or the Stewards who decided) was a disqualification. A request for a re-ride was also denied (it appears no re-rides were granted at any time during the day). With another rider off course only six ribbons were given out. Though Brown University had not been doing well up to this point, Kathryn Eng did her best to stear the ship back on course. A junior from New York City, Eng won novice fences while Margaret Swanson of Mount Holyoke was the reserve champion. There had been no further testing in individual novice fences, and the trend continued with team novice fences. Mount Holyoke moved back in front as Sally Gibb of the Lyons was judged to be the best. A freshman from Princeton, New Jersey, Gibb's seven points gave Mount Holyoke 18 through the jumping classes. Stonehill inched closer to second place as freshman Tina Tramontozzi was second. From Melrose, Massachusetts, Tramontozzi elevated the Sky Hawks' total to 14. Brown avoided a third consecutive white ribbon as Cara Rosenbaum was third while Jenny Klein of Vermont was fourth. Nevertheless the Cattamounts still held second place by a 15-14 margin over Stonehill while Brown had ten points as the jumps were removed for the day. Individual intermediate flat was the first class following the lunch break. After each rider walked, trotted and canterred in the second direction, one-by-one each was called into the middle of the ring by announcer Sara Royston. When only four riders remained, Royston asked them to drop their irons. Two more riders were called in before Judge Conroy had Royston make the last two riders standing line up in the middle with the other six. It was clear even before the results were announced that Kelsey Hill of Stonehill College and Carolyn Kelsey of the University of New Hampshire were headed to Nationals (they were the final riders called into the middle). Hill, a senior from Dover-Foxcroft, Maine who was best in the individual novice flat at 2009 Zone 1 Zones (at least in Judge Michael Page's opinion) settled for second this time. Kelsey, a junior from Deerfield, New Hampshire who had been fourth in novice fences at '09 Zones was the overall intermediate flat champion this time. Surprisingly Kelsey would be the only individual Nationals qualifier (excluding Green in the Cacchione) from Region 2 in 2009-10. The team classes reached the halfway mark as Conroy ran the team intermediate flat in similar fashion to the individual. It became apparent that the Cattamounts were to receive a fourth and the Bears a third by the order in which their riders were called in from the rail. Stonehill earned their third consecutive red ribbon as Emily Dolan was the reserve champion. Allison O'Neill, a freshman from Windsor, Connecticut raised Mount Holyoke's total to 25 points with the win. The Lyons now led the Sky Hawks 25-19 while Vermont fell into third with 18 and Brown hoped for a rally having earned only 14.
Six riders took to the ring for the individual alumni flat. Judge Conroy made the outcome less predictable by calling in riders two at a time. After Mount Holyoke graduate Trina Baker (who is also the Becker College Head Coach) and Tufts University graduate Katie Dunn were called in together (as either third or fourth) Conroy continued to test 2000 Tufts graduate and current Head Coach Katie Schaaf and 2008 University of Connecticut alum Tara Lynch. Eventually Lynch learned she was the blue ribbon winner while Schaaf garnered the red ribbon (Baker was third for the record). This gave UConn graduates both of the blue ribbons awarded to the alumni at today's show. It will be at least the fourth time for Schaaf showing at IHSA Nationals, who was eighth in individual open flat as an undergraduate in her first Nationals appearance when the year-end show took place at New Hope Farm in Port Jervis, New York 12 seasons ago. Up until this point it had been a rough day for Brown University sophomore Rebecca McGoldrick (she was riding in pain due to an unknown riding-related injury). Finally something good happened as McGoldrick joined Eng as an individual Nationals qualifier. McGoldrick was second in individual novice flat (riders again were called into the middle one at a time until only two remained) while Christine Dwyer of Stonehill was the champion. A sophomore from Park City, Utah who had been second in the division at Regionals 13 days earlier, Dwyer became the third Sky Hawk to punch their ticket to Lexington on this day. Team novice flat only widened the gaps that were already in place. Emily Coggins, a Mount Holyoke freshman from Westhampton, Massachusetts was the third Lyon in a row to win a team class. Tramontozzi repeated her novice fences ribbon while Klein improved with a third and Anna Baker of Brown was fourth. The race for second was still a matter of discussion but first and perhaps fourth were looking safe. Mount Holyoke College 32, Stonehill College 24, University of Vermont 22 and Brown 17 through five. The individual walk-trot-canter was one of the more unusual classes of the day, in that it appeared Judge Conroy had fooled many in attendance. After each rider was called in from the rail one-by-one and only two remained, the final two were called in together. Then there was a longer than usual delay in announcing the results. Suddenly Royston asked all eight riders to go out on the rail again and track to the right. Then everyone was asked to canter. Then everyone was asked to walk and line up again. Some in the audience thought that the placings might change, but in reality what had happened was the riders had never cantered in one direction (It is unclear if IHSA rules specify if riders must walk, trot and canter in each direction, but at two prior post-season shows in other parts of the country an entire class has been re-run because of a failure to make everyone ride in one direction). By sending everyone out in that direction there would be no controversy. When the placings were announced Jenn Sears of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst was reserve champion. A junior from Feeding Hills, Massachusetts, Sears would be the only UMass rider to advance to Nationals, at least from the Amherst campus. Winning the class was Amber Strouse of the University of Rhode Island. From Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Strouse was the only freshman at today's show to survive Zones on an individual basis.
The sixth team class finally saw Brown University get out of the dulldrums. Kona Shen, a senior from Seattle, Washington, won team walk-trot-canter to give Brown hope of averting the cellar (and even perhaps chase down second place). Amanda Ross, a Mount Holyoke junior from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (you had Kelsey Hill and Carolyn Kelsey in one class; Now you have Kona Shen and the town of Kailua-Kona in another - Editor) was second. Nina Crossley of Stonehill was third while Emily LeBlanc of Vermont was fourth. Through six it was Mount Holyoke 37, Stonehill 28, Vermont 25 and Brown 24. Provided no one from Mount Holyoke was disqualified over the final two team classes the high point team trophy would be theirs. The seventh individual class was walk-trot, and if you had been at Zone 1, Region 4 Regionals on March 28th you would have seen the same top two placings. Adelaide Hopkins, a senior from Wellfleet, Massachusetts was second in the division for the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. Perhaps helped by time in the seat during team walk-trot-canter, Crossley was the walk-trot champion. A sophomore from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, Crossley could now claim three different ribbon colors at Zones. In 2009 Crossley was second in team walk-trot. Stonehill also secured their fourth individual ride at Nationals, tops in the Zone. The only back-to-back team classes were next. The results of team walk-trot raised more than an eyebrow, as Brown won for the second time in a row. Karolina Woroniecka, a freshman from Great Neck, New York won to elevate the Bears total to 31. Stonehill junior Alisha Wielgoszinski was second, insuring that Brown did not suddenly move into a tie for second. Beth Martin of Vermont was third while Belinda Wenke of Mount Holyoke was fourth. Considering their poor start Brown was still alive for second and a trip to Nationals. Through seven: Mount Holyoke 40, Stonehill 33, Brown 31 and Vermont 29. While Mount Holyoke had clinched first place even if they pulled their open flat rider (a tie with Stonehill at 40 would still go Mount Holyoke's way by virtue of most blue ribbons), the race for second through fourth offered several scenarios. If Vermont won, Brown was second and Stonehill fourth then all three would have 36 points. If that were to happen Stonehill would be out by having no blue ribbons. Since Vermont and Brown would both have two blue ribbons (the first tiebreaker) and one red ribbon (the second tiebreaker) the third tiebreaker, points over fences, would go Vermont's way (this was the only hope for the Cattamounts). If Brown and Stonehill both stayed ahead of Vermont but finished in a tie then Brown would get second place. Stonehill would lose all tiebreakers due to the fact that the Sky Hawks thus far had no blue ribbons. It was really up to Gilberti to deliver a first. If the senior from Washington, DC could win then Stonehill and Vermont would both be eliminated no matter what they did. However if Gilberti was second then Kayla Schneider of Stonehill would have to be fourth for the Bears to earn a tie, and then Green would have to be third to avoid Vermont sending a full team to Nationals.
As it turned out the rider with nothing to win or lose won. Sceats, a junior from Colorado Springs, Colorado won the division. Schneider, a junior from Vernon, Connecticut was the reserve champion. Green was third while Gilberti was fourth. The final tally showed Mount Holyoke as Zone 1 Zones Champion for the fifth time in six years, having scored 47 points. Schneider, who ironically was second in the same team open flat class a year earlier, lifted Stonehill's total to 38. Brown finished the day with 34 while the University of Vermont was close with 33. Though the point totals were slightly different it was the same order of finish as last season. It is assumed that Stonehill will really be at 2010 Nationals, as it is unheard of for something which happened outside the ring to keep a team out of Nationals two seasons in a row. The remaining two classes were somewhat anti-climactic (unless you had a rider in one of them). Individual open flat was the pennultimate class, with riders once again pulled in one at a time. Before the placings were even announced Region 1 fans were as happy as could be under the circumstances. Mariel Saccucci, a University of Rhode Island sophomore from Wakefield, Rhode Island turned out to be the winner. Eugenie Carabatsos, a Wesleyan University senior from Bridgehampton, New York was the reserve champion. Region 1 ended the day with six individuals (two from Brown, two from URI, one each from Connecticut College and Wesleyan University) qualified to compete in undergraduate classes at the Kentucky Horse Park May 6th through 8th. Region 4 claimed five top two placings (Traendly, Hill, Dwyer and Crossley of Stonehill plus Hopkins of UMass-Dartmouth) while Region 3 had four riders headed to the blue grass state (Tripp and Swanson from Mount Holyoke, Sears from UMass-Amherst and Duffee of Holy Cross). Region 1 also had a pair of UConn alumni while Regions 3 and 4 had one alumni rider advance each. The final class of the day was the flat phase of the Cacchione Cup division. One could not help but feel sorry for Gilberti, who once again was fourth in a class. Cheer up Elizabeth! You were second at 2009 Nationals in the Cacchione Cup Competition and you are going back to compete for that prize once again! Third went to Green, a sophomore from Montpelier, Vermont while second went to McNamara, a junior from Weston, Massachusetts. The pride of Colorado Springs was the Cacchione champion, or Zone 1 High Point Rider for 2009-10. It is worth noting that next season the Cacchione/High Point class at Zones will take on new meaning, as only the top two in this division will go on to the 2011 IHSA National show. Going to Nationals is expensive: In the back of the Zone 1 Zones program was a list of 2010 IHSA Nationals Horse Show Entry Fees. A full hunter seat team must pay $680.00 to enter, a Cacchione Cup Rider must pay $125.00 while an individual hunter rider must pay $85.00 per class. With Nationals taking place at the Kentucky Horse Park two seasons in a row, one should be mindful that allthough this year's championship is not the same weekend as the Kentucky Derby, the 2011 Nationals are supposed to be. This may cause a spike in hotel room rates around Lexington that weekend. Perhaps everyone should start saving now (Editor's note: Campus Equestrian will be going to Lexington a week ahead of the 2010 National show in order to find out a little about the area, the hotels, the restaurants, and even the inside of the KHP's brand new arena that the IHSA will be testing out. Look for a story on the Kentucky Horse Park and the greater Lexington area on our home page around May 1st). --Steve Maxwell Show Incidentals: Sunny skies with temperatures reaching the upper '50's. Entire show held indoors. Start time: 10:00AM. Finish: 3:35PM - includes 45 minute lunch/schooling break. Coaches and Captains meeting held prior to start of show. Judge: Mr. Leo Conroy, Wellington, Florida. Stewards: Fogg/Johnson & Wales University, Keim/University of New Hampshire and Payne/Smith College. Class-By-Class Results from 2010 Zone 1 Zones in South Hadley, Massachusetts, listed in the order in which they were held, with the top two riders in each individual class advancing to IHSA Nationals May 6th through 9th in Lexington, Kentucky: Individual Open Equitation Over Fences: 1. Quinn Traendly, Stonehill College. 2. Lauren Duffee, College of the Holy Cross. 3. Lindsay Sceats, Mount Holyoke College. 4. Elizabeth Gilberti, Brown University. 5. Lauren Horth, Endicott College. 6. Reese Green, University of Vermont. 7. Allegra Aron, Brown University. 8. Lila Pemberton, Mount Ida College. Team Open Equitation Over Fences: 1. Lindsay Sceats, Mount Holyoke College. 2. Reese Green, University of Vermont. 3. Quinn Traendly, Stonehill College. 4. Elizabeth Gilberti, Brown University. Individual Intermediate Equitation Over Fences: 1. Elizabeth Tripp, Mount Holyoke College. 2. Melissa Groher, Connecticut College. 3. Heather Chmura, University of Rhode Island. 4. Kathryn Giuseppone, Wheaton College. 5. Elena Serkin, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 6. Elizabeth Bowman, Brandeis University. 7. Jenna Vullo, Mount Ida College. 8. Carolyn Kelsey, University of New Hampshire. Team Intermediate Equitation Over Fences: 1. Risa Reichelt, University of Vermont. 2. Rachel Foster, Stonehill College. 3. Allison O'Neill, Mount Holyoke College. 4. Rebecca McGoldrick, Brown University. Alumni Equitation Over Fences: 1. Amy Kriwitsky, University of Connecticut. 2. Clare Hey, Smith College. 3. Tara Lynch, University of Connecticut. 4. Katie Dunn, Tufts University. 5. Nikki Layne, Johnson & Wales University. Individual Novice Equitation Over Fences: 1. Kathryn Eng, Brown University. 2. Margaret Swanson, Mount Holyoke College. 3. Kelsey Hill, Stonehill College. 4. Amanda Ek, University of New Hampshire. 5. Erin Davenport, Castleton State College. 6. Tara Bliss, Mount Holyoke College. Team Novice Equitation Over Fences: 1. Sally Gibb, Mount Holyoke College. 2. Tina Tramontozzi, Stonehill College. 3. Cara Rosenbaum, Brown University. 4. Jenny Klein, University of Vermont. Individual Intermediate Equitation On The Flat: 1. Carolyn Kelsey, University of New Hampshire. 2. Kelsey Hill, Stonehill College. 3. Stefanie Van der Kaaij, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 4. Kendall Bear, University of Vermont. 5. Heather Chmura, University of Rhode Island. 6. Kathryn Giuseppone, Wheaton College. 7. Lauren Kolodzinski, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 8. Asia Manning, University of Connecticut. Team Intermediate Equitation On The Flat: 1. Allison O'Neill, Mount Holyoke College. 2. Emily Dolan, Stonehill College. 3. Rebecca McGoldrick, Brown University. 4. Risa Reichelt, University of Vermont. Alumni Equitation On The Flat: 1. Tara Lynch, University of Connecticut. 2. Katie Schaaf, Tufts University. 3. Trina Baker, Mount Holyoke College. 4. Katie Dunn, Tufts University. 5. Clare Hey, Smith College. 6. Amy Kriwitsky, University of Connecticut. Individual Novice Equitation On The Flat: 1. Christine Dwyer, Stonehill College. 2. Rebecca McGoldrick, Brown University. 3. Angela Bernier, Becker College. 4. Catherine Adams, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 5. Lesley McDonald, Boston College. 6. olivia Cornell, Roger Williams University. 7. Katherine Lindzey, Dartmouth College. 8. Julia Shaw, Castleton State College. Team Novice Equitation On The Flat: 1. Emily Coggins, Mount Holyoke College. 2. Tina Tramontozzi, Stonehill College. 3. Jenny Klein, university of Vermont. 4. Anna Baker, Brown University. Individual Walk-Trot-Canter Equitation On The Flat: 1. Amber Strouse, University Of Rhode Island. 2. Jenn Sears, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 3. Alex Uden, Tufts University. 4. Jasmine Haddad, Mount Holyoke College. 5. Kate Perez, Stonehill College. 6. Abby Mayou, University of Rhode Island. 7. Valerie Goeman, University of New Hampshire. 8. Lillian Robinson, Mount Ida College. Team Walk-Trot-Canter Equitation On The Flat: 1. Kona Shen, Brown University. 2. Amanda Ross, Mount Holyoke College. 3. Nina Crossley, Stonehill College. 4. Emily LeBlanc, University of Vermont. Individual Walk-Trot Equitation On The Flat: 1. Nina Crossley, Stonehill College. 2. Adelaide Hopkins, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. 3. Miriam Rose-Baker, Middlebury College. 4. Sarah Cholewa, Roger Williams University. 5. Natalie Colaneri, Dartmouth College. 6. Maggie Rogers, Connecticut College. 7. Laura Jean Schneider, Smith College. 8. Teresa Campbell, Mount Holyoke College. Team Walk-Trot Equitation On The Flat: 1. Karolina Woroniecka, Brown University. 2. Alisha Wielgoszinski, Stonehill College. 3. Beth Martin, University of Vermont. 4. Belinda Wenke, Mount Holyoke College. Team Open Equitation On The Flat: 1. Lindsay Sceats, Mount Holyoke College. 2. Kayla Schneider, Stonehill College. 3. Reese Green, University of Vermont. 4. Elizabeth Gilberti, Brown University. Individual Open Equitation On The Flat: 1. Mariel Saccucci, University of Rhode Island. 2. Eugenie Carabatsos, Wesleyan University. 3. Lauren Duffee, College of the Holy Cross. 4. Kara Simanskas, Castleton State College. 5. Amanda D'Entremont, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 6. Reese Green, University of Vermont. 7. Eileen McNamara, Wheaton College. 8. Alison Engel, Brandeis, University. Cacchione Cup Class: 1. Lindsay Sceats, Mount Holyoke College. 2. Eileen McNamara, Wheaton College. 3. Reese Green, University of Vermont. 4. Elizabeth Gilberti, Brown University (All four of these riders are automatically qualified for IHSA Nationals as Region Champion High Point Open Riders - Editor). Final Hunter Seat Team Totals, with the top two teams advancing to IHSA Nationals: Mount Holyoke College (2010 Zone 1 Zones Champion) 47; Stonehill College 38; Brown University 34 and University of Vermont 33.
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