Mount Holyoke College sophomore Cassie Herman (center, between her Mother and IHSA Founder and Executive Director Bob Cacchione) was the only rider with two firsts at the October 21st Williams show. Wins in open flat and fences made Herman the high point rider on this day.

MOUNT HOLYOKE, UMASS TIE FOR TOP SPOT WITH 35

Williamstown, MA - Early on it looked as though this would be Mount Holyoke's day. Cassie Herman won a pair of open classes. Amanda Pettengill was a winner in open flat. Laura Tarko and Martha Vater won separate sections of novice fences. In between their rides Lyon teammate Christine Gunn won her intermediate fences.

Through nine undergraduate classes Mount Holyoke had six blue ribbons, while the University of Massachusetts at Amherst had only one, courtesy of Mara Keith-Hunter in the first class of the day (open fences). Though UMass enterred the day eight points ahead of Mount Holyoke it appeared that the Lyons were about to pull a 'Road Runner.'

If you ever watched those old Road Runner cartoons you know this creature suddenly gets a burst of speed and literally raises the highway as he tears ahead of Wile E. Coyote. Then the Coyote spends the rest of the cartoon constructing gadgets to try and catch the Road Runner, to no avail.

By the conclusion of the third Region 3 hunter seat show each of the past six seasons Mount Holyoke had taken the lead for good, in some cases not far ahead of UMass or Smith and in other cases far enough ahead to start thinking about their team at Zones. The defending national champions have as much of a winning tradition as any program in the IHSA, and the early events at Bonnie Lea Farm made it seemed like Mount Holyoke was ready to tear up the highway.

Seen here with Head Coach Jerry Schurink, University of Massachusetts junior Megan Dionne started a rally with her win in beginner walk-trot-canter.

But then something interesting happenned. Following classes that went to riders from Williams, Westfield State and Smith, UMass won for the second time as Megan Dionne took first in beginner walk-trot-canter. Then following a first for Carolyn Kane of Becker College in walk-trot Umass went on a run. Lisa Risso won her section of intermediate flat; Ally Mentlik was a winner in novice flat, and Tory Forsyth won the next section of intermediate flat. Suddenly UMass had five blue ribbons, one less than Mount Holyoke. Because Region 3 does not post point cards, no one knew who was pointed, but what looked like a good day for Mount Holyoke was suddenly looking just as good for UMass.

Freshman Caitlin Dickinson stopped the bleeding for the Lyons with a win in advanced walk-trot-canter, but two classes later Erika Botman won the second of three novice flat classes for UMass (who we learned are not always known as the 'Minutemen' but rather the 'Minutewomen' when their women's varsity teams compete. However since the UMass equestrian team is known for being co-ed we feel awkward calling them 'Minutepeople' and thus simply refer to them as 'UMass').

Each of these two schools would earn one more blue ribbon, with Katrina Kelly winning the final section of novice flat for Mount Holyoke and Kelsey Walsh winning the next-to-last section of advanced walk-trot-canter for UMass. It seemed like either of these teams could be high point for the day, but had they pointed the right people?

Ever-improving Becker College has a new Assistant Coach in Kristin Cook (left). Former Roger Williams University rider Vanessa Foote poses with Cook after winning the first section of open flat. Foote finished the day only four points from the top in the Region 3 Cacchione/Open Rider standings.

When the point sheets were revealed they showed both Mount Holyoke and UMass with 35 points. The ever-improving Becker program had come next with 24 while both Smith and host Williams scored 20. When the announcement was made over the loudspeakers it sounded something like "UMass and Mount Holyoke have tied for high point with 35 points," which was met with loud cheers from both high point schools. Unlike in some places where a coin toss takes place to determine which team gets the blue high point team ribbon while the other gets the reserve ribbon, Region 3 schools leave the result as a tie with an additional blue ribbon ordered so that both schools can display them somewhere within their facility property.

Though both Mount Holyoke and UMass left Williamstown in the same stituation as they came in, both gained ground on teams that are improved from a year ago in many ways. Becker College has come the furthest, able to fill a point card two times over and then some. With UMass and Mount Holyoke both getting blue ribbons, Becker was awarded the reserve ribbon, giving them that honor two weeks in a row for the first time in program history. Becker has their own facility (where region rival Holy Cross also trains) and is making a push for more National recognition. Back on September 23rd Becker took part in the Pre-Season Tournament of Champions show in Roanoke, Virginia, placing seventh out of sixteen schools.

Historically Smith College has been third the most, finishing behind Mount Holyoke and UMass every year this century save for 2004-05, when the Pioneers were reserve for the season. With the improvement at Becker, Smith has finished fourth at each of the first three shows this season, yet they seem as good if not better than one year ago. Emily Hertz continues to hang tough in the Cacchione/Open Rider race, trailing Herman and Keith-Hunter by three at the moment.

Also improved is the College of the Holy Cross, though several of their new riders were absent to attend/compete in the New England medal finals (they were not the only team with no-shows who were instead at the Big E on this day - Editor). Two riders not present were freshman Lauren Duffee, an open rider who made a big splash with a first on the flat and second over fences at the Smith show on October 7th, and Clare Bracikowski, who earned ten open points at Smith as well. At today's show Caroline Luby was the lone Crusader with a blue ribbon, as the freshman from Old Saybrook, Connecticut won her section of intermediate fences.

Holy Cross senior Ashley-Rose Lanzone (left) poses with freshman Crusader teammate Caroline Luby after the latter won her section of intermediate fences. Holy Cross, which trains at Becker's facility, has managed double digits in each of the first three shows.

Westfield State is perhaps also a little better. Kirsten Giguere won her walk-trot class on this day while teammate Laura Hutton became perhaps the first Westfield rider ever to claim reserve high point rider honors two shows in a row! A sophomore from Barrington, Rhode Island, Hutton did not have to ride off, as no one else had a first (like she had, in intermediate flat) and a third or better save for Herman.

Though Clark and Elms have been noticably absent so far this season, Hampshire College has returned after several seasons out of the IHSA. Hampshire is currently a team of one, as advanced walk-trot-canter rider Tamara Raidoo has single-handedly re-started the team. Hampshire/Raidoo has an advisor in Cindy Gill, who was on-hand at today's show to see Raidoo take fifth for the second time this season (the sophomore did place second at UMass a week earlier). Gill had heard that Hampshire did in fact have a team at some point in the past but could not find out the team's history. Without doing too much research we can tell Gill that Hampshire last fielded a team in 2001-02, eventually scoring 61 points for the season (their highest point total between Fall of 1997 and Spring of 2002). Why the team vanished in the Fall of 2002 after what would be called a successful season is beyond us.

Don't forget us: Host Williams had a blue ribbon winner in Sophie Mason (first in novice fences) while Amherst was led by Daisy Cheung (walk-trot), Susan Sperling (intermediate flat) and Laura Taylor (same as Sperling), each of whom placed third in their respective divisions as the Jeffs scored 16 points. Heather Kelly's fifth in advanced walk-trot-canter was the top score for Springfield College, which earned two points for the day.

We won blue ribbons too!: Vanessa Foote (open flat), Christina Efthim (advanced walk-trot-canter) and Kane were blue ribbon winners for Becker while Martha Maloney-Huss (advanced walk-trot-canter) and Anna Logowitz (walk-trot) won firsts for Smith.

Williams Head Coach Lisa DeMayo (right) poses with Jessy LeClair after the latter earned second place in her section of walk-trot. Williams hosted today's show under very windy cold conditions and wound up in a tie for fourth with Smith at 20 points for the day.

The Alumni race: We at Campus Equestrian are unsure of the current alumni points in Region 3. However we can tell you that Jessica Willis of Smith College is leading in alumni flat, having won all three of her flat classes through three shows. Willis was one of several riders to receive a re-ride early on as the wind played havoc with horses and people most of the day. Today's alumni over fences winner was Mount Holyoke graduate Tara Lowary, who shares alumni rep duties in Region 3 with Williams graduate Tracey Van Kempen (third on the flat and fourth over fences). Rounding out the placings were 2006 Mount Holyoke graduate Melissa Rabbitt (second in both alumni divisions) and another former Lyon in Debora Guiel (fifth in alumni flat). Willis was third over fences while Lowary was fourth on the flat.

The Hollins effect: It seems that in certain parts of the country one specific team has dominated a region for many, many years. It could be said that Mount Holyoke can make that claim in Region 3. Since Smith won what was a slightly larger-sized region in 1984-85, Mount Holyoke has won this region all but four times (Smith again won in 1988-89; UMass won Region 3 three seasons in a row 1993-96). In some parts of the country the runner-up teams simply stay there, yet in a few places there is a mentality that says "If you can't been 'em, join 'em." This does not mean everyone should transfer, but rather that each program within such a region needs to strive to reach the level that the top program is already at. Not every school in a region can achieve this, but some can give it their best. In Zone 4, Region 2 where Hollins University was a region champion from 1998 through 2005 several of their opponents gradually improved, in many cases because there was support from the school itself. Finally in 2005-06 Bridgewater College finished ahead of Hollins, sending a full team to Zones for the first time. The Hollins effect appears to be spreading to Zone 1, Region 3, where Becker now receives support from the school to become a major player while several other programs do their best to be as good as Mount Holyoke. What the top five in Region 3 will look like in three seasons is anyone's guess but for now the UMass versus Mount Holyoke race is about as good as it gets for Fall IHSA competition. This writer would like to go on the record as saying he has seen nine IHSA regions in person so far this season and that Mount Holyoke and UMass look like the two best teams he has seen in 2006-07. One of them will give fits to the remainder of the Zone come early April, but several others would be worthy of Region titles if they were only located in another geographic location.

---Steve Maxwell

Show Incidentals: Mostly Sunny but Windy, with High Temperatures in the low 50's. Start time: 9:52AM. Finish: 4:02PM - includes 25 minute break to remove jumps and school horses (Coaches and Captains meeting held prior to start of show). Point Cards posted in this region? No. Alumni Classes held in this region? Yes. Judge: Carol Molony. Stewards: Law/Mount Holyoke College, Coggin/Westfield State College and Schurink/University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Team Totals: Mount Holyoke College (TIE-High Point Team) 35; University of Massachusetts at Amherst (TIE-High Point Team) 35; Becker College 24; Smith College 20; Williams College 20; Amherst College 16; College of the Holy Cross 13; Westfield State College 6; Hampshire College 2 and Springfield College 2.

High Point Rider - Cassie Herman, Mount Holyoke College
Reserve High Point Rider - Laura Hutton, Westfield State College