|
||||||||
|
FRANKLIN & MARSHALL SURPRISES HOST PENN STATE 31-28 Bellefonte, PA - The weather was the story for most of the day, as showers brought about the first IHSA classes inside the Eastwood Farms indoor in a generation. After all the flat classes took place indoors, the sun came out and those entered in the fences divisions jumped outdoors through large puddles. When it was over a most unusual day had an unusual outcome: Franklin & Marshall scored a narrow 31-28 win over host Penn State. Though the Diplomats had won a show before, the win put them in first place in the region for the first time in program history. Leading the way for Franklin & Marshall were a pair of sophomores and Candice Lorandeau, the lone senior on the Diplomat's roster. From Yardley, Pennsylvania, Lorandeau won her section of advanced walk-trot-canter while sophomore Amanda Carr followed immediately thereafter with a first in walk-trot. Earlier Bri Altieri had been the first Diplomat into the blue ribbons with a first in novice flat. By good fortune all three of the Diplomats' blue ribbon winners were pointed, which gave them 26 points without a drop score through the five flat classes held indoors. Though Penn State won nine of the 17 classes prior to the (all Penn State) ride-off, several of the Nittany Lions point riders were simply not blessed with the best draws on this day. Taylor Jaros (beginner walk-trot-canter), Martina Hirschmann (same), Brian Stone (novice flat and intermediate fences), Megan Renahan (novice fences), Mary Zuccato (intermediate flat), Megan Brodbeck (intermediate fences) and Elizabeth Lubrano (both open divisions) accounted for the nine Penn State blue ribbons. Lubrano and Stone were the only riders from any of the ten teams competing at today's show to win twice and reach the ride-off. Originally scheduled for a 9AM start, the show began at 9:39AM the way it would have had it began outside, with the first of two open flat sections. The class of six was one by Lubrano, a freshman from Glenmore, Pennsylvania who would be the first of at least four riders winning in their IHSA debut on this day. Second went to Sara Baughn of Bucknell while third went to Gettysburg sophomore Carolyn Dooley, who was also showing intercollegiate for the first time. Though all the open riders walked, trotted, cantered and reversed as one group, the first section of advanced walk-trot-canter saw a trend started, where four or five riders would start out in the middle while the other four were examined in action. Then the group in the middle went out on the rail while the others lined up. When the first section of advanced walk-trot-canter was announced Gettysburg junior Rachel Rakoff had won the blue ribbon. From Newton, Massachusetts, Rakoff would be the first of two Bullets to earn a blue ribbon at today's show. York junior Kelly Thompson was runner-up while Bucknell stayed inside the top three again via Katie McConahy securing the yellow ribbon.
Intermediate flat section A was third on the menu. The winner in this division broke a drought of sorts. Briana Billingham, a freshman from Grass Valley, California (near Lake Tahoe) brought home the blue ribbon for Susquehanna University. Billingham, who rode in the IEA with Santa Catalina High School, was not only the first Susquehanna rider to win a hunter seat class in at least two seasons she was the first Crusader hunter seat rider to show in the IHSA since Spring of 2007! Susquehanna has a roster of at least six hunter seat riders to start the season with four divisions filled, so new Susquehanna Head Coach Jonathan Mitchell (who attended Findlay) has a solid nucleus with which to build on. Franklin & Marshall may not have had a rider in the first two classes either. However Deanna Yamasaki brought home a red ribbon for the Diplomats while Allison Krzeminski of Gettysburg rounded out the top three in intermediate flat with a yellow ribbon. The original schedule then took a detour, passing over open and intermediate fences in hopes these divisions could be held outside after the lunch break and in predicted improved weather. The first of two novice flat sections was the fourth division held in the morning and perhaps the largest, with eleven riders listed and no known scratches. Altieri emerged the champion in this large class, with Nittany Lion freshman Erika Flaschner second in her IHSA debut. Bucknell earned their second yellow ribbon of the morning as Kelly Henkler was third. The first of two sections of beginner walk-trot-canter followed, with Penn State riders taking two of the top three placings. Taylor Jaros won it while Nittany Lion teammate Ricky Wolf was third. In between was Tracey Love of Susquehanna, earning five points and, as it turned out, completing the Crusader scoring for the day. Susquehanna's 12 points would earn them a tie with two other schools for the competition and place them ahead of two others in the team standings through one show. Penn State riders earned the top two placings in the next class, the second section of intermediate flat. Mary Zuccato, a Penn State - Altoona transfer making her IHSA debut, was the blue ribbon winner while Kaitlyn Zaleski was reserve. A rider with the number 664 appears to have been third, but this writer admits he took his eye off the ball and did not find out who this rider is (the program does not indicate anyone in this division with this number). The turning point for the show came in the next two classes. Lorandeau won section B of advanced walk-trot-canter, placing ahead of Bucknell freshman Martha Stahel (in second) and Eva Greenberg of Dickinson (in third). The first section of walk-trot followed, with Carr making it two in row for the Diplomats. From Media, Pennsylvania, Carr was the third and final Franklin & Marshall rider to win a class, but with all three winners having been pointed the lead would hold up. Bucknell continued to pounce on the red ribbons as Hannah Rosen of the Bison was second while Dickinson sophomore Carrie Johnson was third.
The second section of open flat had a similar result to the first section of beginner walk-trot-canter, in that first and third went to the same school. However this time Bucknell won these ribbons, as Rachel Axelrod and Danielle Pizzo took blue and yellow, respectively. A junior from Princeton, New Jersey, Axelrod would find herself in second place in the Region 1 open rider standings at day's end while Pizzo, a sophomore from Greenwich, Connecticut who was showing IHSA for only the second time, would finish the day tied for fifth in the open rider standings. Courtney Hair was one of two F & M riders in the section. The junior from Carlisle, Pennsylvania placed second, giving the Diplomats at least 26 points with a drop going into the lunch break. However the lunch break was still three classes away at this point. Penn State had the top two in section B of beginner walk-trot-canter, as Martina Hirschmann finished one place higher than teammate Michele DeMuth. Amanda Cavanaugh of Susquehanna was the yellow ribbon winner. For the first time in three classes three different schools were represented in the top three. Brian Stone of Penn State won section B of Novice flat, while Mary McClintock of Dickinson was second and Jackie D'Innocenzi of Gettysburg third. From West Chester, Pennsylvania, Stone was one of only five riders who had a shot to win twice for the day as he would jump later in intermediate fences. The second section of walk-trot was the last class to take place indoors (it was still raining at that moment). Jen Stoner was the second and final Gettysburg rider with a first on this day, finishing one placing ahead of York's Jennifer Lanz and two places ahead of Penn State's Cat Shea. Gettysburg went into the lunch break with at least 19 points, and the Bullets would finish with 23 and fourth place overall. Also of note was Juniata senior Jessica Clemens placing fifth. Clemens and teammate Emily Miller, who had ridden in the first section of walk-trot, were both awarded pink ribbons to earn the highest placings of the day for Juniata.
During the one hour and six minutes between pinning the walk-trot and the first rider entering the ring for open fences the rain stopped and the sun came out. Things cleared up so well that some (including this writer) got sunburn during the five official jumping classes and the ride-off. The remainder of the show was held outside, and though the Eastwood Farms outdoor is at the top of a hill the rain had been so steady that run-off from the ring was minimal. This writer wants to go on the record that he likes the surface used in the Eastwood Farms outdoor, basically shreaded rubber tires. The footing was still good in spite of the conditions. The rain was simply so bad that the ring had its' share of ponds, most of them near the fence where many spectators would get splashed as the riders turned specific corners (I have seen it rain from start to finish during shows held outdoors at Penn State in their entirety, and ponding was not an issue on those occasions. This was simply a deluge - Editor). Open fences was the first of five jumping classes, with Lubrano able to repeat her open flat placing. Penn State senior Samantha Pandolfi, who was fourth earlier in open flat and sixth in the Cacchione Cup at 2008 IHSA Nationals, was the red ribbon winner while Axelrod was third in a field of ten. Section A of intermediate fences followed, with Stone best in a field of eight to join Lubrano in the ride-off. Bucknell won more red ribbons than any other team on this day, with freshman Nicole Lake the latest to place second. Third in the section was Penn State senior Adele Keeling, who was fifth in the section of open flat which started the day. Penn State made it three classes in a row as Megan Brodbeck won her IHSA debut. A freshman from Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, Brodbeck won section B of intermediate fences. Dickinson junior Ashley Adamik was second while Lebanon Valley College received their highlight of the day as Sarah Bechtel was third. Though most thought Bechtel was still a point or two away from classing up the official word we received two days later is that Bechtel did class out of intermediate fences with the third. If this is correct then Bechtel is the first Lebanon Valley rider in program history to advance to Regionals. The first section of novice fences was very important to the final outcome. Both Penn State and Franklin & Marshall had their final point riders in this class. Though Flaschner finished one placing ahead of Altieri the Nittany Lions had more ground to make up and thus the Diplomats could rest assured they would leave Eastwood Farm sitting in first place in the Region 1 team standings for the first time in program history. Dickinson won their lone blue ribbon of the day, as sophomore Kim Spackman was first for the Red Devils. Wilson College earned the first of consecutive red ribbons in novice fences, as sophomore Megan Keys was second. Gettysburg's Megan Knauss was third. The second section provided Penn State with their final blue ribbon (excluding the ride-off), as Megan Renahan was the champion. Wilson freshman Remy Winants was second in her IHSA debut while Kaitlen Rubin of Bucknell was third. It should be noted that although the ground was waterlogged apparently no riders fell off during any of the jumping rounds.
The Ride-Off: Though Stone gave it his best, Lubrano looked very polished during the ride-off, and through one show she is undefeated. Though this writer learned early in the day that Lubrano was a Maclay finalist, he did not know until he talked to her the circumstances in which she just missed becoming the 2007 Maclay champion. Lubrano related the story that her regular horse suffered an injury only a few months before the Maclay finals. Lubrano then borrowed her Mother's dressage horse and retrained him to jump! The horse was a quick learner, as Lubrano was the 2007 Maclay Reserve Champion. This writer was also happy to see how quickly Lubrano has adapted to the IHSA. Lubrano was very happy with "Gem," a filly who did a nice job in tandem going over the fences. In some cases you can tell when someone has a new rider who will make an impact both inside and outside the ring. With Lubrano joining Pandolfi, the Nittany Lions have as good a one-two punch at the open level as any team in the nation. Alumni expected at third show: Though there were no alumni classes at today's show (and perhaps not at the second Penn State show), alumni will make their 2008-09 Region 1 debut on October 19 if all goes well. A new alumni rep was choosen at today's show. She is recent Juniata graduate and Assistant Coach Justine Kobeski, who will hopefully be one of the alumni riders at the Dickinson show. Those interested in riding alumni in Region 1 (and there is a need for one or two more riders) should contact Kobeski at jmkobeski@gmail.com to get registered. One more thought: Aside from Bechtel the only other rider to class up at today's show is York junior Melissa Chia. Chia needed one single point in advanced walk-trot-canter and ironically received a sixth. Chia pointed up in the Bellefonte Farms indoor, a claim no other rider can make so far this decade. Though Penn State goes to great lengths to hold their shows outside, the indoor here is really very adequate. Some may have concerns about size but honestly, having visited over 100 IHSA indoors, this writer feels that the jumping could have gone off without a hitch had it been held indoors on this day. --Steve Maxwell Show Incidentals: Rain early, with temperatures in the mid 60's, followed by sunny skies and temperatures in the upper '60's. Flat classes held indoors. Start time: 9:39AM. Finish: 3:32PM - includes a 66 minute lunch break/Coaches and Captain's meeting. Point cards posted in this region? Yes. Alumni classes held in this region? Yes but not on this day. Judge: Betsy Perry. Stewards: J. Frankhouser/Franklin & Marshall College, Groomes/Gettysburg College and Phillips-Hillyard/Bucknell University. Team Totals: Franklin & Marshall College (High Point Team) 31; Penn State University (Reserve) 28; Bucknell University 25; Gettysburg College 23; Dickinson College 18; Susquehanna University 12; York College of Pennsylvania 12; Wilson College 12; Lebanon Valley College 7 and Juniata College 3. High Point Rider - Elizabeth Lubrano, Penn State University
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
HOME
| CONTACT US |
||||||||
