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CORNELL WINS SECOND STRAIGHT BUT SKIDMORE CAPTURES REGION Otego, NY - They entered the day with a 49 point lead. After the fences division was complete they had clinched. Skidmore College finished the season with 337 points and their seventh consecutive Region Title. However the day belonged to Cornell University, which won for the second time in a week. The big red led the way with 37 points while open rider Samara Ringer won twice to capture high point rider honors for the day and tie for Region 3 high point open rider honors for the season. Ringer, a senior from Latham, New York who is riding for only her second season on the Cornell team, finished in a tie with Ashley Woodhouse of Skidmore. Both ended the season with 78 points, which will result in an additional class being held at Regionals to break the tie. The open race was very much up for grabs when the day started, as four riders were mathematically alive. Woodhouse entered the day leading with 72 combined open flat and fences points, while teammate Nichole Malone came in with 67. Ringer and Cornell teammate Erica Rosen both began with 64, though the second section of open fences knocked the latter out of contention. Woodhouse had a refusal but received a re-ride and placed third. Malone was reserve while Rosen was sixth. The third section of open fences went to Ringer. After all the other fences divisions and a lunch break, Malone went in the first section of open flat and was fourth, thus eliminated as Woodhouse was still one point ahead. The second section featured Ringer, who won for a second time and would be the only rider at today's show with two firsts. The third section proved to be problematic, as Ithaca's Audra Ravo was having difficulty with her horse. This resulted in a tack adjustment and the class was run a second time. Ravo had the same problem, and the decision was made to pull the horse. The third time was the charm - for Megan Gates - as the Cornell rider won the division. Ravo ended up with a third but more importantly Woodhouse was given an uncharacteristic fifth, resuling in a 78-all tie with Ringer for the season. Five of the six open classes went to big red riders, as Gillian Pech was also a winner over fences while Rosen won blue on the flat. Other Cornell riders with blue ribbons at Hartwick were Sammy Horowitz (intermediate flat), Laura Acker (same), Regina Salvat (novice flat) and Kaitlyn Stanmyer (advanced walk-trot-canter). Cornell finished the season in second place overall, the fifth season in a row as runner-up to Skidmore. Perhaps it was the name change, but for the second season in a row Morrisville State ended up third overall. The mustangs were reserve high point team at today's show and needed every one of their 35 points to finish one point ahead of Hartwick for the season. The school known as the State University of New York at Morrisville through the 2002-03 season was led by their walk-trot-canter riders, as Heather Bilecki, Courtney Hendrickson and Melinda Cole all took blue ribbons, the latter in a beginner class. Nicole Madonna also won for the mustangs, earning a blue ribbon in novice fences.
Skidmore ended up third with 33 points, their first time below reserve all season. Still, there were a few bright spots for the thoroughbreds. Kate Fegan, a sophomore from Rochester, New York was first in novice flat and second in novice fences. Fegan went on to win a ride-off for reserve with Colgates' Ashley Oost-Lievense. Also winning a blue ribbon was Alyssa Garvin, on top in her section of intermediate fences. On eight occasions Skidmore riders earned reserve ribbons. Host Hartwick and Hamilton College tied for fourth at today's show. Letty Bedard won her section of walk-trot while two other Hamilton riders finished reserve. Hartwick open rider Beth Brandt needed five points over fences to qualify for Regionals and earned seven in the first class of the day. Also winning blue ribbons for Hartwick were Laura Clough in intermediate fences and Cira Masters, who won the final class of the day (in walk-trot). Though Hartwick finished a point behind Morrisville overall, the hawks set a team record for points in a season with 240, eclipsing their previous-best of 224 in 2002-03. Other riders with blue ribbons at Hartwick were Laura Williams and Kristen Ahern, who won consecutive novice fences classes for Siena; Jackie Darling (intermediate flat) and Laura Harrison (novice flat) of Ithaca, which finished fifth overall with 229 points for the season; Jaime Weidman (intermediate fences), Kim Ringer (novice flat) and Wendy Babcock (advanced walk-trot-canter) of the State University of New York at Cobleskill, which ended the day with one more blue ribbon than Skidmore, and Devon Storbeck (intermediate fences) and Oost-Lievense (novice fences) of Colgate, the latter also placing second in novice flat and thus advanced to the ride-off with Fegan.
Biggar joins Schneckner and Unger at Regionals: Entering the day, Stonehill graduate Emily Unger had qualified for Regionals in alumni flat while Cornell gradute Christie Schneckner had qualified in alumni fences. Unger needed two points when she won her alumni fences class, which pointed her out over the jumps and then some. Hamilton graduate Carrie Biggar needed two points to qualify over fences and received four. Clemson graduate Kathleen Webster was second in the division, while Schneckner was fourth. The alumni flat saw Webster and Schneckner repeat their jumping placings while Unger and Biggar swapped ribbons. It was the first time this season that Unger took part in an alumni flat class and finished below first. Biggar had needed three points but earned seven. Schneckner had needed to win the alumni flat to qualify in the division. Though she did not qualify for the post-season, Webster (who showed in six of the eight 2004-05 Region 3 shows) put it best when she said she competes simply for the fun of it. We couldn't agree with you more. Looking ahead: 59 undergraduate riders were qualified for Regionals before the Hartwick show started, with at least six rides assured in each division. The top three riders in each division at Regionals advance to Zones. The ride-off class between Ringer and Woodhouse will not be the only one of it's kind that day. On March 6th, Rachael Ragozzino of St. Lawrence and Megan Cowen of Cazenovia finished in a 71-all tie in Zone 2, Region 2, which will hold Regionals at Cazenovia the same time as Skidmore's Regional Show at the Van Lennep Riding Center on April 2nd. The alumni turnout was strong in Regions 1 and 2. However the results were almost as balanced as in Region 3, so expect a wide-open field at Zones for the alumni come April 9th. Skidmore will host 2005 Zone 2 Zones, and will compete in the hunter seat team competition against St. Lawrence from Region 2 and (probably) Centenary from Region 1. The top two teams at Zones advance to IHSA Nationals May 5th through 7th in Sunbury, Ohio. The last time Zone 2 Zones were held in the Van Lennep Riding Center, Cazenovia won six of eight classes en route to a reserve placing at 2002 IHSA Nationals. Skidmore won twice and finished second six times to advance as well. Though the thoroughbreds didn't have their best outing today, their record speaks for itself: Five times over 40 points through eight shows, including a perfect 49 score at Cornell on February 27th. Zone 2 Zones should be worth more than the price of admission, which is free. ---Steve Maxwell Show Incidentals: Sunny skies but cold, with highs in the mid '30's. Entire show held indoors. Start time: 9:07AM. Finish: 4:26PM - includes 51 minute lunch break/Coaches & Captains meeting and several schooling breaks totaling an additional 35 minutes. Point cards posted in this region? Yes. Alumni Classes held in this region? Yes. Judge: Ann Jamieson, Kent, CT. Stewards: Hackney/Colgate University, Sawyer/Ithaca College and C. Mitchell/Cornell University. Team Totals: Cornell University (High Point Team) 37; Morrisville State College (Reserve) 35; Skidmore College 33; Hartwick College 28; Hamilton College 28; Colgate University 27; Siena College 24; Ithaca College 21; State University of New York at Cobleskill 21; Binghamton University 20; Elmira College 7 and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 4. High Point Rider - Samara Ringer, Cornell University
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