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NYU TIES FAIRFIELD FOR THE DAY, STILL LEADS REGION BY 3 Medford, NY - The third Region 4 show of the season helped to separate two teams from two others, but left the previous top two overall unchanged. New York University entered the day with a 63-60 lead over Fairfield, and after both teams scored 35 the lead became 98-95. Yale University had their best day of the season, nearly catching the Violets and Stags, scoring 34 points without the benefit of a walk-trot rider. Violet Behavior: NYU earned three blue ribbons, including two awarded to freshman riding in their first-ever IHSA classes! Rachel Engstrand won intermediate fences while Rachel Kenion took the blue in advanced walk-trot-canter. Kenion was even pointed in spite of never having competed in an IHSA show. Freshman Kate Rudish had ridden in one prior show for the Violets, and remained undefeated in novice flat. Six NYU riders won second place ribbons, including Rose Arnold in the final class of the day, which was the third section of walk-trot. Fear the Dear!: It was not until the eleventh undergraduate class of the day that Fairfield came up with a blue ribbon (awarded to Melissa Rendeiro in intermediate flat), but from that point on the Stags were very effective and closed the gap in spite of several riders being absent to be part of various medal finals. Liz Jones was a walk-trot winner while Kelly Burke went home with a blue ribbon in novice flat. Junior Jenna Esposito, who only joined the Fairfield team this season. was first in intermediate flat and second in intermediate fences, eventually becoming one of three riders in the ride-off for high point.
While NYU and Fairfield had to rally from deficits, Yale was ahead for most of the 'middle' of the show. Freshman Charlotte Morse won her section of open flat for the Bulldogs while junior Alexandra Junewicz was a winner in novice flat. Junior Erica Deahl was second in a pair of intermediate classes while Donnell Gavin was one placing shy of the top in novice fences. Kristin Northwehr's second in beginner walk-trot-canter gave Yale their final five points of the day, almost enough to win but bettered only when the Violets and Stags earned high ribbons in walk-trot. Though C.W. Post College was next with 27 points, the Pioneers earned four blue ribbons, one shy of the most of any team at today's show. Walk-trot rider Casey Dukes won a blue ribbon as did Sarah LeFrancois (advanced walk-trot-canter), Valerie Manas (novice flat) and Ann Marie Blatt (novice fences). Three C.W. Post riders also won red ribbons. Though there seems to be a shortage of walk-trot riders within the IHSA nationwide, the Pioneers are perhaps as loaded in the division as anyone, as five C.W. Post walk-trotters were entered in today's show. Columbia University entered the day only six points out of first. However the Lions will have to claw their way back to the top if they want to repeat as Region 4 Region Champions. There is still plenty of time to accomplish this, and Columbia rode well while scoring 25 points. Senior Tracey Wheeler started the show off with a bang, winning the first section of open flat. Junior Emily Low, whose older sister Martha used to ride for the Lions, was a winner over novice fences while Mariel Davis won her intermediate flat. Rebecca Salley earned the final blue ribbon of the day for Columbia with a first in beginner walk-trot-canter. Low had the destinction of riding in consecutive classes, placing second in intermediate flat moments after her fine novice fences round. Low was yet another rider to compete in the ride-off. Columbia earned two other red ribbons and despite some significant graduation losses could well make up the 16 points needed to catch NYU.
Though they did not compete in 2005-06, Nassau Community College has returned with a vengeance this season. Nassau was fifth today, scoring 22 points and moving into eighth place overall in the 12-team region. Sophomore Francisca Martinez earned the lone blue ribbon of the day for NCC (in novice flat) while Jamie Casabona was second in her section of walk-trot. New Head Coach Dawn Lipner boasts an interesting tie to IHSA history. Her stepfather was John MacCrate III, an attorney who wrote the original by-laws for the IHSA back in 1967. MacCrate, who passed away during the 2002-03 season, also restructured the IHSA into a C-3 non-profit educational corporation in 1997. MacCrate's sister Judy Stephens was the long-time Head Coach at Beaver College from the '70's through the 90's, and Stephens' daughter/Lipner's cousin Terry was the individual open over fences champion while riding for Moravian College at 1994 IHSA Nationals in College Station, Texas. Getting back to Lipner's current team, Nassau scored their 22 points with only six places filled on their point card. St. Joseph's earned five firsts at today's show, the most of any team entered. However all their blue ribbons converted into only 21 points on the scoreboard. The Golden Eagles won early and often, as Nicole Sottilo (open flat), Krystie Kiernan (intermediate fences), Jessica Condon (same), Kelly Crawford (advanced walk-trot-canter) and Liz Harrison (beginner walk-trot-canter) earned one blue ribbon apiece. Crawford, a freshman from East Islip, New York, has won all three of her advanced walk-trot-canter classes so far this season. Condon, a senior from Bohemia, New York, was second in open flat and thus was part of the ride-off. Also scoring 21 points was Stony Brook University. Omri Adut and Rachel Cresswell both won sections of open fences while Natalie Zobel was second in her section of advanced walk-trot-canter. For the first time since 1966 Stony Brook has a new Head Coach, as George Lukemire has finally retired, ending the longest tenure of any IHSA Head Coach - 40 years. Myrna McElhiney rode for Lukemire and the Seawolves in the mid 1980's (and for Miami of Ohio shortly before that) and is now the second Head Coach in program history under her married name Myrna Treuting. After today's show Treuting can claim the current leader in the Region 4 Cacchione/Open Rider Standings, as Adut moved three points ahead of NYU's Emily Oatis and two ahead of Cresswell (the 2005-06 Cacchione rep at Nationals) thanks to a third in Adut's open flat class.
Sacred Heart was next with 16 points. Lauren Pierce led this particular group of Pioneers with seconds in both open divisions while Lauren Sampson was also a red ribbon winner in novice flat. Host Hofstra was a point back with 15 and could also boast of three red ribbons. Nitsan Ayali (novice fences), Kristen Moro (novice flat) and Steven Blocker (advanced walk-trot-canter) all heard their names called as having finished in second place. It looked for the longest time as though Molloy College would earn no ribbon higher than a fourth. Then Georgette Durand placed third in the final walk-trot class of the day to give Molloy, which earned 11 points, their highest ribbon. Rounding out the scoring was Dowling College with 10 points, seven of which came when Beth-Ann Chrils won her section of walk-trot. Dowling has a new trainer this season in Spirit Seabre, whose sister Tarah rode for Nassau not too long ago. While Seabre is the trainer, former Dowling standout Jason Lacertosa is the new Coach. Lacertosa will miss one show in November however, as he will be competing at the National Barrel Horse Association World Finals in Augusta, Georgia. The alumni standings changed slightly, in part due to considerable balance amongst the entries. 2005 Salve Regina graduate Amanda Gerdts won both her alumni flat and fences classes, moving from five points to 12 points in each and even tieing for the lead over the jumps with 2002 C.W. Post graduate Maria Triolo. Triolo was second in the lone section of alumni fences though 2005 Stony Brook graduate Stacey Munoz did win a separate alumni flat section. Munoz now holds a 14-12 lead over Gerdts, Mindi Deleary of Hofstra (second place on the flat today) and Danielle Reynolds of C.W. Post (fourth in both of her alumni classes).
The Ride-Off: Condon, Low and Esposito took part in the ride-off, with Esposito earning the blue and Condon the runner-up red. Esposito had participated in both of the previous two ride-offs, though it is unclear if today was her first time as the champion. Could they be jogging and loping in the near future?: Lacertosa, who is an outstanding western rider outside the IHSA, is interested in riding alumni western. At least one member of the Sacred Heart team is interested in riding western as well. Because Region 4 is currently english only, schools in this region have the option to request to compete in another region's western shows. Zone 2, Region 1 is the closest group that shows western, with three shows already in the books (though we are still trying to learn the results of those three shows - Editor). While the Region 1 people are a drive across the Tappan Zee Bridge away, Zone 3, Region 2 is not all that far down the New Jersey Turnpike. Known essentially as the Philadelphia Region, Region 2 held their first two western shows of the season during today's Hofstra show, with their next shows scheduled for November 5th. Both of these regions could use a few extra western riders and depending on how many shows remain one could see Lacertosa earning 28 points in the alumni western divisions in a short period of time. --Steve Maxwell Show Incidentals: Mostly cloudy, with temperatures in the mid '50's. Start time: 8:57AM. Finish: 5:00PM - includes 29 minute lunch break/Coaches & Captains meeting. Point cards posted in this region? Yes. Alumni classes held in this Region? Yes. Judge: Joyce Przebowski. Stewards: Rigert/St. Joseph's College, Lipner/Nassau Community College and Peterson/Molloy College. Team Totals: New York University (TIE-High Point Team) 35; Fairfield University (TIE-High Point Team) 35; Yale University 34; Long Island University - C.W. Post College 27; Columbia University 25; Nassau Community College 22; St. Joseph's College 21; Stony Brook University 21; Sacred Heart University 16; Hofstra University 15; Molloy College 11 and Dowling College 10. High Point Rider - Jenna Esposito, Fairfield University
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