New York University senior Stacy Schwartz (front row, third from right) said we should put this picture on the Campus Equestrian home page. But if we did that Stacy it would have to be a smaller version. By placing the 2008 NYU team photo on this page it can grow 71 pixels wider! Before we forget, NYU, coached by Ashton Phillips (far left) captured their first-ever Region Title this season, and on this day the Bobcats advanced five riders to Zones.

MAJORITY OF REGION 4 SCHOOLS ADVANCE RIDERS TO 2008 ZONE 2 ZONES

Medford, NY - Ten of 12 Zone 2, Region 4 schools had riders qualified for 2008 Regionals and nine of these ten advanced at least one rider to Zone 2 Zones as the Regional show progressed on April 6th. The school with the most Zone qualifiers turned out to be Region Champion New York University, with five riders placing high enough to extend their seasons. Fairfield and Stony Brook were next with four Zones qualifiers each.

Zone 2 is one of a small number remaining where the top three in each class advance to Zones (only the top two at Regionals qualify for a Zones show in most places). Even if only the top two had been allowed to advance NYU would still have seen each of their Zones qualifiers ride at least once at Skidmore's Van Lennep Riding Center on April 12th. Leading the way for the Bobcats was open rider Hanna Gelfand. The junior from West Los Angeles was second in open fences and third in open flat, becoming the only undergraduate rider at today's show who earned the right to ride twice at Zones. Teammates Shayna Silverman and Meredith Johnson took first and second, respectively, in novice fences while Allison Wolfel was second in intermediate flat and Lauren Roberts second in intermediate fences for the Bobcats (Until a few years ago NYU was officially known as the Violets. However for some time their mascot had been a Bobcat and now the team nickname matches!).

It could not be considered all that surprising that NYU managed the most Zone qualifiers, as the Bobcats tied C.W. Post for the most undergraduate riders competing at Region 4 Regionals. However only two of Post's 14 riders were qualified in more than one division, while NYU could claim eight of their 14 riders would go twice. What is surprising to some is that NYU won the region with so many riders pointing up so early. The Bobcats went on to win their first-ever region championship with considerable depth, something that hampered previous NYU teams.

On two occasions during the course of Regionals the top two undergraduate ribbons went to riders on the same team. One of those occasions was when Lindsay Maroney (left) and Kelly Burke of Fairfield University earned the top placings in novice flat.

The team which historically has the most depth in this region is Fairfield University. The Stags had eight riders entered at Regionals, four of which advanced to Zones. Region 4 Cacchione Cup representative Elysse Ruschmeyer was third in open fences and for the longest time was the only Fairfield rider qualified. However in the third-to-last class Kelly Burke won the novice flat while teammate Lindsay Maroney was second. Sophomores Burke and Maroney were two of 19 riders who took part in separate 'heats' where they did well enough to be called back for another round by judge Ron Smith. Likewise Fairfield freshman Heather Boyd was in the second of two walk-trot-canter heats, from which she too surivived to eventually place second overall in the division.

Stony Brook finished the regular season third overall and four of the Seawolves have prolonged their seasons for at least six more days. In the cases of Rachel Cresswell and Amanda Urbanski it was 'win-or-thanks for the memories' but these seniors more than held their own. Cresswell won the first class of the day, earning the blue ribbon in open flat while Urbanski was first in intermediate fences. The remaining Stony Brook riders to advance did so with yellow ribbons, as Melissa Heide was third in novice flat while Alexandra Schauble was third in novice fences.

Columbia University had five riders qualified and seven rides at Regionals, with three of the Lions able to punch their tickets to Saratoga Springs. Junior Mariel Davis was the lone Lion with a blue ribbon, earning the top spot in intermediate flat while teammate Rachel Weinberger was second in walk-trot and Jill Ross was third in intermediate fences. The Lions continued a trend which showed the higher your team placed during the regular season the more riders your team advanced to Zones. Columbia had finished fourth behind NYU, Fairfield and Stony Brook overall.

Like NYU, Hofstra changed their school nickname not long ago. The Pride were known as the Flying Dutchmen in the 20th century. From left to right Hofstra's Molly Collins, Nitsan Ayali and Jamie Graham pose for a photo after Graham won in open fences.

The 2007-08 season saw Hofstra double their team total from the previous season. The Pride scored 249 points during 10 regular season shows, up from 124 in 2006-07. Part of the reason for the increase was open rider Jamie Graham, who rode for Savannah College of Art & Design last season. Graham placed eighth in individual intermediate flat at 2007 IHSA Nationals, and after today's results the junior from Bucks County, Pennsylvania is only one step away from going back to Nationals. Graham was the best of six riders to show in open fences. Hofstra teammate and freshman Molly Collins also helped the Pride improve in '08, and Collins was third in intermediate flat, one of three classes that was held indoors due to impending bad weather at the start of the day. It should be known that Hofstra was the most improved team in Region 4 this season, moving up from eleventh place to fifth in the team standings.

Though Dowling College only moved from twelfth overall to tenth in 2007-08 Head Coach Jason Lacerotsa saw the Golden Lions increase their point total from 93 to 150, a dramatic improvement. Lacerotsa also saw Dowling buck the trend that said your overall standing in the region equaled the number of riders you advanced to Zones. Though he had to wait until late in the day, Lacerotsa saw two of his three qualified riders secure a trip to Zones. Both Jacqueline McMahon (in walk-trot-canter) and Stephanie Hines (in walk-trot) placed third to survive another day. It should be noted that although many coaches were happy when one of their riders advanced, no one displayed as much jubulation as Lacerotsa did following McMahon's third. His reaction to Hine's third less than half an hour later was nearly as enthusiastic.

Dowlings' Jacqueline McMahon (left, who competed in walk-trot-canter) and Stephanie Hines (right, who competed in walk-trot) both placed third to secure rides at Zone 2 Zones later in the week.

C.W. Post College had as many actual riders qualified for Regionals as NYU but nearly came up empty on an undergraduate level until the final class of the day. The Pioneers were essentially assured of at least one ride at Zones, as four of the six riders qualified in the walk-trot division were theirs. However there were even anxious moments when that division was pinned, as the riders who placed fourth through sixth were Post's. When all was said and done, Pioneer junior Jasmine Trauger won the class outright, giving C.W. Post an eighth, two sixths, two fifths, a first and three fourths for the day. Trauger however looked very good and will represent the region well in Saratoga Springs.

St. Joseph's College had three riders entered and one of them, freshman walk-trot-canter rider Erin McKeon, will be competing at Zones. McKeon survived the larger heat of eight riders to be one of judge Smith's eight callbacks overall, and eventually she was second to Boyd in the division.

Yale University was the third of three schools to advance one rider to Zones. Unlike several schools which only assured themselves a trip up the Thruway late in the proceedings, Yale advanced a rider right off the bat. Jennie Nevin of the Bulldogs survived what was a problematic open flat class to start the day. A horse had to be pulled, forcing the entire class to be run a second time. The second attempt at open flat saw a rider fall off (both horse and rider may have hit the wall but no one was hurt). Nevin, a sophomore from Greenwich, Connecticut, was one placing higher than Gelfand but second overall to Cresswell in open flat. According to Molloy Head Coach Carole Gerrity judge Smith thought very highly of the eleven open flat riders and would have liked to have seen them on 'made' horses.

"Mack the Knife" poses with Yale sophomore Jennie Nevin (center) and Bulldogs Head Coach Amanda Gerdts (right). Though Nevin will ride once at Zones her coach will get to ride twice, thanks to top three placings in both alumni divisions.

Only one school entered in today's show did not advance a rider to Zones. Five Nassau Community College riders qualified for the Regional show, with Maxine Winer surviving the second walk-trot-canter heat to earn the teams' only top eight placing with a seventh.

Best of the old folks!: Zone 2, Region 4 had the largest number of registered alumni riders who competed in 2007-08, with seven able to qualify for alumni flat and only three in alumni fences (three riders in particular dominated the division, and it helped that these three rarely missed a show). The first three classes of the day were held indoors to avoid a strong wind (and predicted rain that did not fall beyond a brief mist) with the second of these being the alumni flat. With results of each class read from the lowest placing to the highest, third went to Salve Regina alum and current Yale Head Coach Amanda Gerdts while the top two went to a pair of C.W. Post graduates. Danielle Reynolds was second while Jennifer Collins, who was the first Region 4 rider to point out of open flat this season won the division. Later in the day Reynolds moved up to the champion ribbon in alumni fences while Gerdts moved up to reserve. St. Joseph's graduate Amanda Marsh, who was Amanda Deptuch as an undergraduate, was the third qualifier in alumni fences. Ironically C.W. Post will have more alumni rides than undergraduate rides at Zones while the Yale coach will ride more often than her pupil come April 12th. Marsh gives St. Joseph's a one-to-one alumni-to-undergraduate ratio at Zones.

The Mysteries of L.I.E. Exit 65: Though ribbons were awarded down to eighth place when that many riders or more were competing, seventh and eighth were not officially announced for the section of open flat which started the day. If anyone knows who earned these placings can you let us know?

The Coincidences of L.I.E. Exit 65: Though it may sound trivial, we are convinced it has deep meaning. According to NYU senior Stacy Schwartz, she and Molloy Coach Gerrity are the only people at Country Farms on this day who have photos they took of former New York Met and Yankee Darryl Strawberry stored on their cell phones! While Schwartz photographed Strawberry with her phone while he attended a Mets game Gerrity took his picture while he was visiting the Molloy campus for reasons which are not yet clear to us. Simply amazing.

The alumni flat was made up of seven riders. C.W. Post graduates Jennifer Collins (left) and Danielle Reynolds earned first and second, respectively, in the division. Reynolds would later win the alumni fences though with only three riders entered the drama was not quite as intense.

Only six days to think about it: Expect to see some very nice horses if you are competing at Skidmore's Van Lennep Riding Center on the 12th. The facility is also fan friendly, with bleachers at one end and, if cold enough, the heating coils in the ceiling may be turned on in the morning...While the top three at Regionals survived, only the top two at Zones will go on to IHSA Nationals in Burbank, California May 8th through 11th. With Zone 2 the largest hunter seat Zone nationwide in terms of the number of riders expect all individual classes except perhaps the alumni divisions to be made up of the maximum 12 riders...New York University will face Centenary College (from Region 1), St. Lawrence University (from Region 2) and host Skidmore College (from Region 3) in the team competition. There will be eight team classes (one for each division) with four riders in each. The three schools with the most points in the four-way team competition will advance to IHSA Nationals.

--Steve Maxwell

Show Incidentals: Overcast skies and windy, with temperatures in the mid '40's. Open flat, alumni flat, intermediate flat and novice flat heats held indoors. All other classes held outdoors. Start time: 9:07AM. Finish: 2:25PM - includes 30 minute schooling break. No Coaches & Captains meeting held on this day. Alumni classes held in this Region? Yes. Judge: Ron Smith, Allentown, Pennsylvania. Stewards: Larocque/Fairfield University, Rigert/St. Joseph's College (NY) and Kinnally/Columbia University.

2008 Zone 2, Region 4 Regionals class results, listed in the order in which they were held, with the top three in each class advancing to Zone 2 Zones on Saturday, April 12th, 2008 in Saratoga Springs, New York:

Open equitation on the flat: 1. Rachel Cresswell, Stony Brook University. 2. Jennie Nevin, Yale University. 3. Hanna Gelfand, New York University. 4. Elysse Ruschmeyer, Fairfield University. 5. Emily Oatis, New York University. 6. Jamie Graham, Hofstra University.

Alumni equitation on the flat: 1. Jennifer Collins, C.W. Post College - Long Island University. 2. Danielle Reynolds, C.W. Post College - Long Island University. 3. Amanda Gerdts, Salve Regina University. 4. Amanda Marsh, St. Joseph's College (NY). 5. Valerie Achkhanian, Fairfield University. 6. Libby Kahl, Pace University. 7. Kristine Brackenridge, Sacred Heart University.

Intermediate equitation on the flat: 1. Mariel Davis, Columbia University. 2. Allison Wolfel, New York University. 3. Molly Collins, Hofstra University. 4. Kali Peragine, Stony Brook University. 5. Emily Low, Columbia University. 6. Julie Youngblood, New York University. 7. Rachel Engstrand, New York University. 8. Ann Marie Blatt, C.W. Post College - Long Island University.

Open equitation over fences: 1. Jamie Graham, Hofstra University. 2. Hanna Gelfand, New York University. 3. Elysse Ruschmeyer, Fairfield University. 4. Jennie Nevin, Yale University. 5. Jackie Minto, C.W. Post College - Long Island University.

Alumni equitation over fences: 1. Danielle Reynolds, C.W. Post College - Long Island University. 2. Amanda Gerdts, Salve Regina University. 3. Amanda Marsh, St. Joseph's College (NY).

Intermediate equitation over fences: 1. Amanda Urbanski, Stony Brook University. 2. Lauren Roberts, New York University. 3. Jill Ross, Columbia University. 4. Ann Marie Blatt, C.W. Post College - Long Island University. 5. Stephanie Schmidt, Stony Brook University. 6. Rachel Engstrand, New York University. 7. Blair Epstein, Yale University. 8. Kali Peragine, Stony Brook University.

Novice equitation over fences: 1. Shayna Silverman, New York University. 2. Meredith Johnson, New York University. 3. Alexandra Schauble, Stony Brook University. 4. Kait Brennan, New York University. 5. Emily Low, Columbia University. 6. Allison Wolfel, New York University. 7. Melissa Heide, Stony Brook University. 8. Nitsan Ayali, Hofstra University.

Novice equitation on the flat: 1. Kelly Burke, Fairfield University. 2. Lindsay Maroney, Fairfield University. 3. Melissa Heide, Stony Brook University. 4. Alexandra Schauble, Stony Brook University. 5. Karina Malavenda, Stony Brook University. 6. Jacqueline Sassone, Dowling College. 7. Nitsan Ayali, Hofstra University. 8. Meredith Johnson, New York University.

Advanced walk-trot-canter equitation: 1. Heather Boyd, Fairfield University. 2. Erin McKeon, St. Joseph's College (NY). 3. Jacqueline McMahon, Dowling College. 4. Lauren Van Diense, C.W. Post College - Long Island University. 5. Emily Maggiato, New York University. 6. Ashley Vaughn, C.W. Post College - Long Island University. 7. Maxine Winer, Nassau Community College. 8. Liz Jones, Fairfield University.

Walk-trot equitation: 1. Jasmine Mauger, C.W. Post College - Long Island University. 2. Rachel Weinberger, Columbia University. 3. Stephanie Hines, Dowling College. 4. Laurie Hansen, C.W. Post College - Long Island University. 5. Maya Papuzinski, C.W. Post College - Long Island University. 6. Amy Rocco, C.W. Post College - Long Island University.