Seen here with her parents, Megan Deeds (center) was the sixth and final Penn State rider to advance to Zones on April 3rd. The Mohnton, Pennsylvania resident was second in walk-trot at Regionals as the Nittany Lions earned half of Region 1's 16 individual rides at Zones on April 11th.

FIVE SCHOOLS ADVANCE RIDERS TO ZONES DURING 100 MINUTE REGIONALS SHOW

Chambersburg, PA - With a total of only 35 rides, 2010 Zone 3, Region 1 Regionals were over and done in the blink of an eye. Begun at 11:11AM when Julie Weisz of Gettysburg entered the ring for open fences, Bucknell sophomore Katherine Coney heard her name mentioned as the winner in walk-trot exactly one hour and 40 minutes later. In between Penn State won five of eight blue ribbons while earning eight rides at Zones. Region 1 Cacchione qualifier Elizabeth Lubrano won both of the open classes while teammate Jessica Hoy was runner-up on each occasion. Mary Zuccato, a Nittany Lion senior from West Chester, Pennsylvania won the intermediate fences while yet another senior, Stephanie Zawatski, won the novice fences. It was not until the fifth class of the day that a Penn State rider came in below first. Though Zuccato was third in intermediate flat, a pair of Gettysburg riders held down the top two spots. Allison Krzeminski, a senior from York, Pennsylvania won for the Bullets while teammate Meghan Spellman was second. Two classes later Bucknell swept the top two. Caitlin Hume, a sophomore from Baltimore, Maryland won advanced walk-trot-canter for the Bison while teammate Megan Hoopes (from Rockville, Maryland) was second. Bucknell wound up with four riders who advanced to Zones, as Coney won walk-trot to conclude the short show while Emily Deuink, a junior from Severna Park, Maryland was second to Zawatski in novice fences.

Rounding out the list of Zones qualifiers were Deanna Yamasaki, a Franklin & Marshall junior from Abbington, Pennsylvania who was second to Zuccato in intermediate fences; Mary McClintock, a Dickinson College junior from West Bath, Maine who was second in novice flat, Megan Deeds of Penn State who was second to Coney in walk-trot and Savannah Sheldon also of Penn State. A senior from North Kingston, Rhode Island, Sheldon won novice flat and can claim to train with an IHSA Coach both at school and at home. While Nittany Lions Head Coach Malinda Grice does the training honors near State College, University of Rhode Island Head Coach Pam Maloof has been Sheldon's trainer at home much of her life.

Half of the classes saw one school sweep the top two placings. From left to right are Meghan Spellman, Head Coach Janis Groomes and Allison Krzeminski of Gettysburg College, who posed for this picture after earning the top two spots in intermediate flat.

Breaking from the traditional format of most stories written about IHSA shows on Campus Equestrian, we present a collection of actual comments written by most of today's winners. Each of these riders who placed inside the top two typed their comments directly into our laptop. Save for a coma or two that we changed for gramatical purposes, their responses are presented verbatim...

"I am really excited to have so many fellow Penn Staters qualifer for Regionals. The horse show is that much better when you have a large number of your teammates there cheering you on. It was also nice to see my good friend and fellow teammate Jessica Hoy qualify for Zones with me. She works so hard as the Captain of PSET so its great to see her effforts pay off!!" - Elizabeth Lubrano, Penn State University, who won open fences and later won open flat.

"Having been riding for Penn State for four years now and having been the captain for the past two and being able to come to Regionals and represent my team is an honor. The team spirit that Penn State holds is something that I will never forget after I graduate this spring. There is no way things would be possible without them. They keep me calm, they bring me back up after a bad ride, and they are my best friends. I have been honored to ride in the IHSA for Penn State and qualifying for Zones is just the icing on top of the cake. Go get 'em PSET RIDE ON STATE!!!" - Jessica Hoy, Penn State University, who was second to Lubrano in both open fences and open flat.

"I have been on the F & M Equestrian Team for three years now, training with our awesome trainer, Jerre Frankhouser. Jerre is always supportive and loves to see us succeed. I am very excited to have qualified for Zones, since I missed my chance last year for Intermediate hack. My horse I drew today was great, very sensitive to my leg and got all of his changes. Luckly he had a smooth jump so I could concentrate on my equitation. Even though only two of us from the F & M Equestrian Team qualified for Regionals, we're happy to represent our team! Thanks to everyone who was involved, and especially Jerre and Phyllis Frankhouser." - Deanna Yamasaki, Franklin and Marshall College, who was second in intermediate fences.

"As a senior at Penn State, I was really excited I had the opportunity to be at Regionals and show today. My draw was great, but he definitely was a little bit of a challenge for me. Overall, I am glad to be here with so many people from my team and I wish everyone the best of luck. I am going to miss this team so much, so I am just happy to be here with them all." - Stephanie Zawatski, Penn State University, who won novice fences.

"I have worked really hard with BUET's trainer, Farra Phillips-Hillyard, to change my riding style from eventer to hunter/equitation. It is proof of Farra's hard work that I have qualified for Zones this year. I have had a lot of fun to be a part of IHSA, even though it was a big change. It has been a long journey, but I am really happy with the experiences I have had with this team and with Farra." - Emily Deuink, Bucknell University, who was second to Zawatski in Novice Fences.

Mary McClintock of Dickinson College (on left, with Red Devils Head Coach Lindsay Vulich) was second in novice flat. If you can place within the top two at a Regionals show in Zone 3 then you become one of eight riders to compete in the same division at Zone 3 Zones, held once again at Birchtown Stables in Forrest City, Pennsylvania on April 11th.

"As my last year riding with Gettysburg College, I was shocked to get first in Intermediate Flat. My coach, Janis Groomes did an excellent job preparing me for today. I really appreciate all the hard work she puts into the team. I'm really looking forward for Zones next weekend!" - Allison Krzesminski, Gettysburg College, who won intermediate flat.

"This is my sophomore year competing for the Gettysburg Team. It has been a very exciting year with five riders qualifying for Regionals from Gettysburg. Our trainer, Janis Groomes, has dedicated so much time and effort into our team to have a successful season. I appreciate everything she has done to help me qualify and place 2nd at Regionals. I am also pleased to be going to Zones for intermediate flat with my teammate, Allison Krzeminski. I am so excited for Zones!!" - Meghan Spellman, Gettysburg College, who was second to Krzeminski in intermediate flat.

"I am a junior at Dickinson college, and this is my third year on my wonderful team. I could not have done nearly this well if it wasn't for all the support from my team and coach Lindsay Vulich. I want to thank Lindsay very much because I was new to the show world when I started at Dickinson and she taught me everything I know about showing. I am very excited to be going to Zones next week!" - Mary McClintock, Dickinson College, who was second in novice flat.

"I'm a sophomore at Bucknell, and I'm very excited to get first place! My teammate Meghan Hoopes, who won reserve, is obviously my good luck charm; We've won classes as Champion and Reserve before. I absolutely love my team, and riding with Farra is such a wonderful experience because she's so knowledgable. I'm so glad I get to represent Bucknell at Zones!" - Caitlin Hume, Bucknell University, who won advanced walk-trot-canter.

"My very last year of collegiate riding: going 2nd place at Regionals, only losing to my teamate. I say that's not too shabby! I'm so grateful for the Bucknell team and our trainer, Farra Phillips-Hillyard, for taking a shy little dressage rider and pushing me to be a better rider with every stride. I'll be sad to leave, but I'm proud to be, and always will be, a BUET alumnus!" - Megan Hoopes, Bucknell University, who was second to Hume in advanced walk-trot-canter.

Last season Bucknell University did not have a rider at Zones. This time the Bison will have four riders showing at Birchtown Stables on April 11th. If you haven't been there it is a nice place, with a lounge upstairs above one end of the ring where the food concession is also located. Both Megan Hoopes (left) and Caitlin Hume (on right) will likely be riding there for the first time as they finished second and first, respectively, in advanced walk-trot-canter.

Additional Stuff: Despite the small number of riders who qualified for Regionals over seven shows, each of the eight classes was made up of three or more riders, meaning no one received a free pass to Zones (at the undergraduate level)...Alumni classes were held at only four shows (three of which were the Briarwood shows), with no alumni rider reaching the 28 points automatically advancing someone at that level to Zones. Clemson graduate Niki Carter will almost certainly be allowed to ride at Zones in alumni flat having scored 26 points in that division. It is unclear if her 21 points in alumni fences will be enough for a waiver from the National steward...Bucknell survivors represented the state of Maryland well, with Deuink, Hoopes and Hume from the state whose motto is "Manly Deeds, Womanly Words"...their Bison teammate Coney is from Stow, Massachusetts, where the state motto is "Ense Petit Placidam Sub Libertate Quietem," or "By the Sword We Seek Peace, But Peace Only Under Liberty"...Of the six Penn State riders who moved on to Zones, four are somewhat unsurprisingly from Pennsylvania. Only Sheldon and Zawatski (from Monroe, Connecticut) are from outside the Keystone state...Deeds is the first rider ever to transfer from Penn State - Berks to Penn State - State College and to have competed for both equestrian teams. Penn State - Behrend and Penn State - Fayette round out the Penn State schools which have fielded IHSA teams over the past five seasons...At some shows it will come to pass that the Judge pins the same horses in first more often than not. This was not the case with Judge Abbe Wolfe at today's show, who gave Lubrano a blue ribbon on the flat when her horse clearly did not want to (and refused to) canter in one direction. Wolfe apparently took into account that Lubrano's draw on the flat was far more difficult that those in use by Hoy and Hanna Botney of Bucknell at the time...At many Regionals shows there is testing, such as to ask riders to jump a specific set of fences or to switch horses and perform flatwork on a mount they did not draw. Somewhat surprisingly there was no testing at today's show of any kind.

Possible brave new world next season: At some point before the end of June the IHSA Executive Board will vote on a major realignment of the regions, which will perhaps result in a few new regions being created and one Zone disappearing off the map (Zone 7 would be absorbed into Zones 8 and 9, with the current Zone 9 renamed Zone 7). One scenario has the current Zone 2, Region 1 (which includes defending National Champion Centenary College) becoming the new Zone 3, Region 3. The only reason this is mentioned here is that in 2009-10 the top three riders at Zone 2 Regional shows advance to Zones, in contrast to most places where only the top two individuals survive. Next season the schools within the various regions which make up Zone 3 could vote to do it the way Zone 2, Region 1 did it this season, with individual classes made up of 12 riders and not 8 at Zones (with only the top two going on to Nationals). This will be one of many topics that will come up if the proposed realignment goes into effect in the fall of 2010.

---Steve Maxwell

Show Incidentals: Sunny skies, with temperatures reaching the low '70's. Entire show held indoors. Start time: 11:11AM. Finish: 12:51PM - Coaches and Captains meeting held prior to start of show. Judge: Ms. Abbe Wolfe. Stewards: Groomes/Gettysburg College, Grice/Penn State University and a third steward, unknown.

Class results, in the order in which they were held, with the top two in each class advancing to Zone 3 Zones on April 11th in Forest City, Pennsylvania:

Open equitation over fences: 1. Elizabeth Lubrano, Penn State University. 2. Jessica Hoy, Penn State University. 3. Julie Weisz, Gettysburg College.

Intermediate equitation over fences: 1. Mary Zuccato, Penn State University. 2. Deanna Yamasaki, Franklin & Marshall College. 3. Jennifer Conway, Gettysburg College. 4. Erin Bair, Dickinson College. 5. Jillian Shenk, Penn State University. 6. Allison Krzeminski, Gettysburg College.

Novice equitation over fences: 1. Stephanie Zawatski, Penn State University. 2. Emily Deuink, Bucknell University. 3. Emily Zubrow, Penn State University. 4. Sara Schubert, Bucknell University. 5. Megan Renahan, Penn State University.

Open equitation on the flat: 1. Elizabeth Lubrano, Penn State University. 2. Jessica Hoy, Penn State University. 3. Hanna Botney, Bucknell University.

Intermediate equitation on the flat: 1. Allison Krzeminski, Gettysburg College. 2. Meghan Spellman, Gettysburg College. 3. Mary Zuccato, Penn State University. 4. Briana Billingham, Susquehanna University. 5. Erica Eber, Penn State University. 6. Leslie Parthree, York College of Pennsylvania.

Novice equitation on the flat: 1. Savannah Sheldon, Penn State University. 2. Mary McClintock, Dickinson College. 3. Brian Stone, Penn State University. 4. Rebecca Hicks, Franklin & Marshall College. 5. Elise Settanni, Penn State University.

Advanced walk-trot-canter: 1. Caitlin Hume, Bucknell University. 2. Megan Hoopes, Bucknell University. 3. Andrew McCamley, Gettysburg College. 4. Taylor Jaros, Penn State University. 5. Amanda Cavanaugh, Susquehanna University. 6. Jennifer Butts, York College of Pennsylvania.

Walk-trot: 1. Katherine Coney, Bucknell University. 2. Megan Deeds, Penn State University. 3. Charis Brenneman, Wilson College. 4. Katie Moore, Penn State University.