Campus Equestrian: Zone 3, Region 4 Home Page

IHSA ZONE 3 - REGION 4

Three of the four Regions within Zone 3 hold Western shows as one area known as Area 3.0. In 2025-26 the Western open rider with the most combined open reining and open horsemanship or rail points was Alicia Smoot of Delaware Valley University (on right). Seen here with Aggies western coach Andrew Wolf, Smoot was third at the Findlay, Ohio Semifinal in the individual open western high point rider class to earn the right to compete against 14 others for the top individual prize at 2026 IHSA Nationals in Mill Spring, North Carolina. From Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, Smoot closed out her sophomore year by placing tenth in the individual AQHA-sponsored high point open rider competition on May 3rd. And Smoot is also a member of the Delaware Valley hunter seat team, for which she showed in the team limit over fences division at Nationals on May 2nd.

Only one Region 4 hunter seat rider not from Delaware Valley advanced to IHSA Nationals. Rachel Marino of Bloomsburg University (on right, with teammate Kyla Sandy, the runner-up in the Region 4 hunter seat open rider standings who was there for support) won the individual intermediate equitation division at Zone 3 Zones on April 4th to reach Nationals in the division. Marino and Sandy are seen here in the stands within the Tryon International Equestrian Center indoor last May 1st prior to Marino closing out her sophomore year with a sixth in the same division a short time later.

"Lucie," a young yellow labrador, earned a fifth place ribbon for Delaware Valley University in team novice equitation on May 2nd. Wait! This just in. We have a slight correction. Elsa Heacock, at the time a sophomore from Limerick, Pennsylvania, posed with her Father and Lucie for this photo after Heacock was fifth in team novice equitation at IHSA Nationals on May 2nd. As a team the Aggies went on to place ninth in the nation within the '26 Nationals hunter seat team competition.

When this writer paid a visit to a Equestrian Talent Search clinic held at Delaware Valley University on September 12th and 13th (of 2026) he learned that Sophia Frisbie (on left) is one of two Aggies hunter seat captains in 2026-27. The other captain is Maggie Mitchell (not pictured). The Del Val hunter seat team will continue to be coached by the duo of Ciara Tjong (on right) and Emily Miller (not pictured). Region 4 will kick off their hunter seat season with a show hosted by Lehigh University on October 3rd while the Aggies western team will first be in action when Wilson College hosts two shows on October 10th.

The remaining photos on this page were posted in April of 2026. From Lowman, New York, Rhiannon Swimelar of Delaware Valley is seen here polishing her boots prior to the start of day two of 2025 IHSA Nationals. The Aggies finished seventh at '25 Nationals and have qualified to compete all over again in 2026. Delaware Valley qualified 21 riders for Regionals, with 12 qualifying hunter seat, 7 western and one in both English and Western. Swimelar (pronounced "Swym-lar") qualified this season in limit flat.

While Delaware Valley won the region for hunter seat as was generally expected, runner-up Bloomsburg University stayed in the race mathematically into the tenth and final show of the season. Perhaps the Huskies benefited from new assistant coach Brooke Wolfinger (on right), who competed for Delaware Valley each of the previous four seasons. Wolfinger is the daughter of Bloomsburg head coach Amie Wolfinger (not pictured), and mother and daughter coached the western team as well. That's Karly Zavaglia of Huskies on the left, a senior from Whippany, New Jersey who qualified for Regionals in novice equitation.

Let's break tradition and put riders from the same school back-to-back on the left-hand side of the Zone 3, Region 4 page. Seen here is Kaylee Blasick of Bloomsburg, enjoying the sunshine at 2024 Region 4 Regionals at Delaware Valley. From Benton, Pennsylvania, Blasick had just won the individual intermediate on the flat when this photo was taken on March 30, 2024. Blasick closed out her senior year with a sixth in individual open flat at Zone 3 Zones in Long Valley, New Jersey on April 4th of this year.

Lafayette College was high point team at the March 8th Delaware Valley show, winning by a 37-33 margin over Bloomsburg while outscoring the host school by ten points. Leopards head coach Kelly Poff (on right) is seen here with Connor Wood during the November 23rd Kutztown show. A senior from Holliston, Massachusetts, Wood qualified for Regionals in limit flat. And the 'Pards were third overall for the season too!

Alvernia! The Golden Wolves!! For much of the season Emmerson Bartley (not pictured) was the lone Golden Wolf qualified for Regionals. But on March 14th Emma Philiposian (on right) won her open flat to double the team qualifier total. The sophomore from Sweedsboro, New Jersey is seen here with Alvernia University head coach Eryn Ziegler within the Delaware Valley University indoor after reaching the 28 point total needed to go to Regionals in open flat. Philiposian was also reserve high point rider that day.

While Alvernia was fourth place overall in the Region 4 hunter seat team standings Lehigh University was next. And Lucy Sullivan of the Mountain Hawks qualified for Regionals in both open divisions! Seen here at the October 6, 2024 Region 4 season opener at Brookside Show Stables (previously known as Planeta Farm), the junior from Larchmont, New York closed out 2025-26 with a seventh in individual open over fences at Zone 4 Zones in Long Valley, New Jersey on April 4th.

The IHSA uses the term "Regional Effort" when a show is co-hosted by all of the teams in a region. The March 14th show at Delaware Valley is an example of one of these efforts. I meant to get Rutgers head coach Kelly Francfort in a photo that day but somehow it did not happen. But no worries as this photo of coach Francfort (on left) with Sonia Balani was taken at Del Val during 2024 Regionals. From Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, Balani was fourth in limit fences at '24 Regionals but reached Zones in 2026. Balani closed out her senior year with a seventh in individual intermediate fences on April 4th. The Scarlet Knights were sixth overall in the 2025-26 Region 4 hunter seat team standings.

Who says I can't post two Rutgers photos in a row? I did this for Bloomsburg a few photos ago so the same thing will happen for the school from New Brunswick, New Jersey! Kamila Kaldon of the Scarlet Knights is seen here during the November 23rd Kutztown show after having shown in the same limit over fences class that Zavaglia and Wood were entered in (made up of 17 riders!). A senior from Garfield, New Jersey, Kaldon was one of five English and two Western riders on the Rutgers roster to qualify for 2026 Regionals. Kaldon pointed out of novice equitation.

And how about a Kutztown University photo from their home show? Golden Bears hunter seat head coach Roxanne Khan (on right) is seen here with Samantha Schalki and "G.Q." after Schalki was fifth in intermediate flat. Kutztown hosted at Heaven's Gate Farm in Pipersville, Pennsylvania. A junior from Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, Schalki was already qualified for Regionals in limit fences and rookie western horsemanshp (she rides for the Kutztown Western Team too!). The Golden Bears finished seventh overall in the Region 4 hunter seat team standings.

Only one University of Scranton rider qualified for 2026 Regionals but she did so in both open divisions! She is Cecilia Penfield (pictured), known as "Ci Ci", who is seen here on November 23rd during which she was first in open flat, second in open fences and the eventual high point rider that day. A junior from Binghamton, New York, Penfield was fourth in the Region 4 hunter seat open rider standings and her 64 points made up almost half of the Royal's 133 team points earned in 2025-26.

If you have followed the IHSA for as long as I have it is hard to believe that the former Beaver College has now been known as Arcadia University for 25 years! The board of trustees approved of the name change in October of 2000 and it went into effect on July 16, 2001. A quarter of a century later Madison Bachrach (pictured) qualified for Regionals in introductory equitation. A sophomore from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Bachrach is seen here after winning her pre-novice class at the Regional Effort at Del Val on March 14th. Bachrach is one of four Knights to have qualified for 2026 Regionals.

Moravian College also sent four riders to 2026 Regionals including Jamie Doll. Seen here with "Gigi" at that same March 14th Regional Effort, the sophomore from Browns Mills, New Jersey was second in novice equitation that day to secure a ride in that same division at Regionals two weeks later.

If you are keeping track there have been photos from five different horse shows used so far on this page. And here is a photo from yet a sixth show. From Woolwich, New Jersey, Madison Heitman of Delaware Valley University is seen here after winning team introductory equitation at Zone 3 Zones held last season on April 5, 2025. On April 4th of this year Heitman was again a blue ribbon winner at Zones, taking first place in Individual introductory equitation. The Aggie sophomore will ride in the division again on May 2nd at 2026 IHSA Nationals in Mill Spring, North Carolina. Delaware Valley has now won 17 consecutive hunter seat Region Titles. Only Centenary, Skidmore, Penn State and Stanford have longer active hunter seat streaks (Editor's note: Mount Holyoke and Del Val are tied for the fifth-longest active streak at 17 consecutive through 2026).

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The Zone 3, Region 4 Smorgasbord

Schools which competed in Zone 3, Region 4 during the 2025-2026 school year: Alvernia University, Arcadia University, Bloomsburg University, Delaware Valley University, Kutztown University, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Moravian College, Rutgers University and University of Scranton.

Fall 2026 Show Schedule for Zone 3, Region 4:

Saturday, October 3 Lehigh University (Host) at Brookside Show Stable, Ringoes, NJ Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, October 10 Lafayette College (Host) at Top Notch Equestrian Center, Phillipsburg, NJ Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, October 10 Wilson College (Host) on campus at the Hawthorne Riding Arena at the Penn Hall Equestrian Center, Chambersburg, PA Time TBA 2 WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, October 17 Entire Region (Co-Hosts) at Ridge Road Stables, Bloomsburg, NJ Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Sunday, October 18 Bloomsburg University (Host) at Ridge Road Stables, Bloomsburg, NJ Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, October 24 Alvernia University (Host) at Ludwig's Corner Show Grounds, Glenmoore, PA Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, October 31 Rutgers University (Host) at Brookside Show Stable, Ringoes, NJ Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Sunday, November 7 Moravian University (Host) at Tavola Farm, Northampton, PA Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, November 7 Kutztown University (Host) at the Dream Park, Logan Township, NJ Time TBA WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, November 7 University of Delaware (Host) at the Dream Park, Logan Township, NJ Time TBA WESTERN ONLY - HELD FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF THE KUTZTOWN SHOW

Saturday, November 21 Delaware Valley University (Host) at Saddlebrook Equestrian Center, Schwenksville, PA Time TBA 2 WESTERN ONLY

Schools in each Zone 3 Hunter Seat Region will show Western as part of one big region again in 2026-27. Show Schedule subject to change.

Recent Region 4 Team Champions (Region 4 created from portions of Regions 2 and 3 prior to the 2001-02 season)

Hunter Seat:

2002 - Bucknell University
2003 - Bucknell University
2004 - Kutztown University
2005 - Bucknell University
2006 - Princeton University
2007 - Kutztown University
2008 - East Stroudsburg University
2009 - Lafayette College
2010 - Lafayette College
2011 - Lafayette College
2012 - Rutgers University
2013 - Rutgers University
2014 - Lafayette College
2015 - Lafayette College
2016 - Rutgers University
2017 - Rutgers University
2018 - Lafayette College
2019 - Rutgers University
2020 - Rutgers University
2022 - Lafayette College
2023 - Lafayette College
2024 - Delaware Valley University
2025 - Delaware Valley University
2026 - Delaware Valley University

Western (recognized as Zone 3, Region 2 1998-2001, then as Zone 3 2001-02, Zone 3, Region 4 2002-05, Zone 3, Region 1/3/4 2005-10, Zone 3, Region 3/4 2010-14, Zone 3, Region 3/4/5 2014-15, Zone 3, Region 4/5 2015-16 and again simply as Zone 3 2016-present):

1999 - Kutztown University
2000 - Kutztown University
2001 - University of Delaware
2002 - Rutgers University
2003 - Kutztown University
2004 - Kutztown University
2005 - West Virginia University
2006 - West Virginia University
2007 - West Virginia University
2008 - West Virginia University
2009 - West Virginia University
2010 - West Virginia University
2011 - Centenary College
2012 - Centenary College
2013 - Centenary College
2014 - Centenary College
2015 - University of Delaware
2016 - University of Delaware
2017 - Delaware Valley University
2018 - Delaware Valley University
2019 - Penn State University (State College)
2020 - University of Delaware
2022 - Delaware Valley University
2023 - Delaware Valley University
2024 - Penn State University (State College)
2025 - Delaware Valley University
2026 - Penn State University (State College)

Regional Qualifiers

Open Level Rider Standings

Team Standings

ZONE 3 NEIGHBORS

Region 1 Homepage

Region 2 Homepage

Region 3 Homepage

Region 5 Homepage