It was a triumphant return to Hazelwild Farm for former Mary Washington Coach Beth Boteler (on right). Now an Assistant Coach to Sarah Irvine at Bridgewater College, both of Bridgewater's teams outscored both of the host's teams. Bridgewater College senior Lindsey Barrett poses with Boteler after the former placed second in open flat to help 'Team Crimson' finish third overall out of 21 teams.

THE 2010 WINTER TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

Fredericksburg, VA - There were occasional white-out conditions in the parking lot at Hazelwild Farm while the 2010 Winter Tournament of Champions invitational went on indoors. As roughly eight inches of show fell over the duration of the show the teams with funny names made the most of it. Bridgewater College, which had brought horses a day earlier, saw both their 'Team Gold' and 'Team Crimson' entries eventually make the top ten. Mount Holyoke had the most entertaining names, with 'Team Snookie' and 'The Situation' also headed for the top ten (both names are based on dialogue from the MTV series "Jersey Shore" for those over 40 who might be oblivious). Virginia Tech, which won the Pre-Season Tournament in September, kept their names consistant with the previous tournament shows. Once again the school from Blacksburg brought 'Team Hokie Nation' and 'Team Enter Sandman' to the invitational, hoping that the Sandman would repeat and perhaps bring them the Series Championship Trophy. Virginia Intermont College, also entered at each Tournament event, had 'Team Black' and 'Team Gold' on hand. VI, which had at least one Tournament win in each of the previous five seasons, entered the day looking for their first Tournament blue ribbon of 2009-10. Could this be their lucky day?

In spite of the dreadful weather only two teams scratched (Vanderbilt University had issues getting out of the Nashville area a day earlier due to ice/snow in their neighborhood while Sweet Briar College was to travel the morning of the show but wisely stayed put while over a foot of snow fell in the Lynchburg area) and the show was underway at 9:21AM. In similar fashion to Zone 4, Region 1 shows which are hosted by the University of Mary Washington at Hazelwild, the first class of the day was a flat class. While Shannon Brown put the hosts' 'Team Gray' on the board with sixth, the winner of section A of intermediate flat was Kat Chrysostom of Bridgewater College Team Gold. A freshman from Columbia, South Carolina, Chrysostom edged out Paige Messick of 'Sandman' who took the red ribbon.

University of New Hampshire senior Phil Trombley (on left, with Wildcats Head Coach Christina Keim) won the first of two sections of walk-trot. UNH scored 22 points to claim tenth place overall. This appears to be the Wildcat's highest Tournament score to date.

The rest of the show would see fences classes alternated with flat classes more often than not. Open fences followed, with Bridgewater staying undefeated. This time however it was Team Crimson with the blue ribbon. Shelby Goodman, a sophomore from Smithfield, Virginia won the section while Devan McNamara of Delaware Valley College was second. Though Messick and McNamara had posted five points for their respective teams Tufts University jumped into second, for Katie Christiansen placed fourth to duplicate the ribbon won by Jumbos' teammate Cecillia Pontoriero in intermediate flat. Tufts had six while DelVal and Enter Sandman had five points each.

The second section of intermediate flat saw Lafayette College ruin Bridgewater's hope of two perfect scores. Kelsey Work, a sophomore from Los Angeles, California gave the Leopards seven points just as she had done in novice fences at 2009 Nationals nine months earlier. Though no West Coast schools took part in today's show, many riders like Work who reside there competed today and, to be honest, did not complain about the cold, snowey weather (while many from east of the Mississippi did). "It's OK because I know it's all going to melt!" was Works' response when asked if the conditions bothered her. Mount Holyoke Team Snookie (should this have been spelled Snooki? - Editor) got on the board via Tara Bliss placing second. Delaware Valley took the lead as Kristin Lawrence was third.

The second section of open fences kept at least one of the Bridgewater teams undefeated. Emily Wolek, a senior from Millstone, New Jersey who was second in the Medal Division at the Pre-Season Tournament, won section B for Bridgewater's Gold Team while Virginia Intermont Black suddenly had five points via Audrey Hanlon. Enter Sandman moved into third place overall behind Bridgewater Gold and Delaware Valley, as Brett Flower was fourth to give one set of Virginia Tech riders eight points for the moment. Northern Illinois University's Team Black got on the board as sophomore Laura Stremke was fifth.

Remember his name! "Fame" poses between Lafayette College freshman Erin Duggan (on right) and Leopards Head Coach Erin Githens after Duggan rode him to victory in walk-trot-canter. Lafayette won three of their eight classes, scored a program-best 24 points for a Tournament show and won a tiebreaker to earn sixth place overall.

The fifth class of the day did not result in any placings, for it was the first of two Flat Classes featuring riders entered in the Medal Division. Held in lieu of a ride-off for high point, the Medal Division may include open, intermediate or alumni riders, though at today's event no one with a degree mounted up. Eleven riders took part in each section, with the top 12 invited back to compete in the jumping phase. The sixth class was intermediate fences section A. Delaware Valley won outright for the only time, as Jessica Buck was the winner. A freshman from Harrisonburg, Virginia (a town not too far west of Fredericksburg), Buck had placed third in the same division at the Holiday Tournament of Champions on December 5th (Buck finished behind riders from Centenary College and Stonehill College that day, neither team of which entered the Winter event. Somewhat surprisingly, it turned out that not one school from Zone 2 took part this time). Del Val did not emerge with the lead for the time being, as Chelsea Hames was second for Bridgewater Team Gold. Messick was third, giving Enter Sandman 12 points for the moment and third place behind Bridgewater Gold (at 19) and Delaware Valley (with 16).

The first of two sections of walk-trot-canter followed, and for the second time in three attempts the Leopards had a blue ribbon. Erin Duggan, a Lafayette freshman from Oradell, New Jersey was the winner while Virginia Tech's Team Hokie Nation now had seven points as sophomore Lauren O'Neil was second. At this point four teams were in double figures: Bridgewater Gold (19), Delaware Valley (16), Lafayette (14) and Virginia Tech Enter Sandman (12). Virginia Intermont Team Black was in fifth with nine points.

The second section of intermediate fences moved two more teams into double figures. Krissy Guthrie, a Lynchburg College freshman from Glenmoore, Pennsylvania suddenly boosted the Hornets from four points to 11 by winning the division. Also rising to eleven were Virginia Intermont, but not the Black Team. Junior Amanda Shamer of Team Gold was third, equaling the placing of open fences rider Ashley Miller to move Gold two points ahead of Black if only temporarily (VI Head Coach Eddie Federwich was so impressed with Shamer's ride he let out a "Woooo-woo" - type sound after her final fence). Placing between Guthrie and Shamer was Sarah Leavitt of the University of Mary Washington Gray Team. Work was fourth in intermediate fences, moving Lafayette to second place at 17 points. Through seven classes it was Bridgewater Gold 19, Lafayette 17, Delaware Valley 16, Virginia Tech Enter Sandman 12, Virginia Intermont Gold 11 and Lynchburg 11.

Anne Tucker (in foreground) was one of two members of Mount Holyoke's 'The Situation' Team to win a blue ribbon. Tucker won her walk-trot-canter class while The Situation finished fourth overall with 26 points (Tara Bliss of Mount Holyoke won a red ribbon for Team Snookie, the rival Mount Holyoke team, and received a pink Tournament of Champions winter hat which she is wearing in the background).

Following the second of two Medal Class flat phases the first section of novice flat took place. Though Mount Holyoke's 'The Situation' Team had but two points over their first three rides Emily Coggins more than made up for this with her novice flat ride. The freshman from Westhampton, Massachusetts won the division, while Kate Frazier of the University of New Hampshire was second. Frazier's red ribbon suddenly had the Wildcats in double digits, like Lynchburg now at 11 points. Addie Jabin of Goucher College was third, earning one of two yellow ribbons for the Gophers on this day. VI Gold increased their total to 14 as Claire Mawdsley was fourth. At this point Gold had two thirds and two fourths in four rides. Bridgewater Crimson reached double digits as Lindsay Ferguson was fifth. The Sandman added a point via a sixth for Kristin Wavell. Bridgewater Gold 19, Lafayette 17, Delaware Valley 16, Virginia Intermont Gold 14, Virginia Tech Enter Sandman 13, Lynchburg 11, University of New Hampshire 11, Bridgewater Crimson 10 and the rest in single digit territory.

Listed as class eleven in the program but only the ninth class to actually include placings, the first section of walk-trot marked the true beginning of the second half. While most classes were made up of ten or eleven riders, section A of walk-trot consisted of only eight, as not all of the teams had a walk-trot rider present. The University of New Hampshire is happy that Phil Trombley was present, as the senior from Madbury, New Hampshire won the walk-trot to give the Wildcats 18 points for the time being. This would put UNH in a tie for third, as Kim Escobar of Virginia Tech Enter Sandman was second to equal the Wildcat's total. Paulina Erni of Mount Holyoke The Situation, who was listed as Paulie Erni in the December Holiday Tournament program, came in third to raise her team's total to 13. Amanda Batista of Delaware Valley, who won the exact same walk-trot class at the December 2008 Holiday Tournament of Champions in Concord, Ohio was fourth. This moved the Aggies into second place. Bridgewater Gold maintained the lead as Kristina Glenn was fifth. Rebecca Kaczmerek rounded out the top six with a sixth for VI Gold. Through eleven (or nine if you look at it that way) it was Bridgewater Gold 21, Delaware Valley 19, Virginia Tech Enter Sandman 18, New Hampshire 18, Lafayette 17, Virginia Intermont Gold 15, Mount Holyoke The Situation 13, Lynchburg 11, Bridgewater Crimson 10 and the rest looking at an uphill battle to catch the leaders.

If you were trying to follow the scoreboard at the show itself you needed to ask those who were waiting in line for the bathroom to move every so often. A large poster with all the teams and class names was situated on a wall next to the bathroom entrance. Though there were portable toilets outside few wanted to venture into the snow to reach them, and the line for the bathroom ranged from perhaps two people up to ten. To see what scores had been written people in the line occasionally had to bend forward or backward to accomodate those writing results into their programs or for Show Manager Gwen Arrigon to reach in and write the latest results. When Gwen Arrigon leaned through the line to write in the results of section A of open flat her magic marker gave hope to those rooting for VI to chase down the leaders. Hanlon, a junior from Huntington, New York improved by a placing on her open fences score. This gave VI Black 16 points and a one point lead over VI Gold. Senior Lindsey Barrett put Bridewater Crimson into a tie with VI Gold by taking second place. Amory Brandt of Goucher was third while Jordan Rooney of Lynchburg earned the white ribbon to raise the Hornet's total to 14. The Situation looked better for Mount Holyoke as Elizabeth Tripp raised their total to 15 via a fifth. Jennifer Osterman, a freshman with Virginia Tech's Hokie Nation rounded out the scoring with a sixth. It was her first ribbon in an IHSA-related show of any kind (it was also Osterman's first intercollegiate show). Bridgewater Gold 21, Delaware Valley 19, Virginia Tech Enter Sandman 18, New Hampshire 18, Lafayette 17, Virginia Intermont Black 16, Virginia Intermont Gold 15, Bridgewater Crimson 15, Mount Holyoke The Situation 15, Lynchburg 14, and the rest no higher than nine.

Though Jordan Shelburne (on right) may have been out of the ribbons in the Medal Division, her Virginia Intermont teammate Audrey Hanlon (on left) came up big in the team classes. Hanlon won her open flat and placed second in open fences for VI Team Black. We had to use a photo from the November 17th Virginia Intermont show as Hanlon and many other VI riders spent much of the day with their horses located in a different barn which they trailered in all the way from Bristol.

The second section of walk-trot-canter followed, and suddenly the Situation was banging on the front door. Anne Tucker, a Mount Holyoke sophomore from Andover, Massachusetts took first place for the Situation, giving that group of Lyons 22 points. Mary Washington Team Gray broke double digits, as Clair Maher was second. Third place meant a change at the top for at least 15 minutes, as Krista Dwyer of Delaware Valley earned the yellow ribbon. Dwyer thus moved Del Val's total to 23, two points ahead of Bridgewater Gold. Bridgewater Crimson continued to creep up, catching the Sandman and UNH thanks to a fourth from Ryan Carroll. University of Georgia freshman Katherine Cerny was fifth, bringing the Bulldogs total to five points while Michelle Ahmann of the University of Wisconsin at Madison was sixth, giving the Badgers what turned out to be their final point of the day. With five team classes to go it was Delaware Valley 23, Mount Holyoke The Situation 22, Bridgewater Gold 21, Virginia Tech Enter Sandman 18, University of New Hampshire 18, Bridgewater Team Crimson 18, Lafayette 17, VI Black 16, VI Gold 15, Lynchburg 14, University of Mary Washington Gray 11 and many others close to if not already eliminated.

So far the only division not yet held was novice fences. Section A of novice fences was class 14 (or 12), and for the first time all day a school from the Midwest claimed a blue ribbon. Julia Jordan, a freshman from Green Bay, Wisconsin won the division for the University of Michigan. This gave the Wolverines 15 points and hope for high point team honors if everyone else cooperated. Rachel Jones of Lynchburg College was second, giving the Hornets 19 overall. Bridgewater Crimson moved into a tie for second as sophomore Katie Leonard was third. Virginia Tech Hokie Nation reached double digits, as Jessica Ropelewski was fourth. Casey Gilligan added two points to Virginia Intermont Gold's total, allowing them to jump over VI Black. Sixth went to Christine Cook of Mary Washington Team Gray, giving that group of Eagles 12 points overall. What a race!: Delaware Valley 23, Mount Holyoke The Situation 22, Bridgewater Crimson 22, Bridgewater Gold 21, Lynchburg 19, Virginia Tech Enter Sandman 18, University of New Hampshire 18, Lafayette 17, VI Gold 17, VI Black 16, University of Michigan 15, University of Mary Washington Gray 12, Virginia Tech Hokie Nation 11 and the rest essentially put to rest.

Though there were still three team classes left after the second section of walk-trot-canter, at least one team would be done for the day after this particular section. That team was Bridgewater Crimson, and Corrie Fitz did her best to put the Crimson ahead. Fitz was the red ribbon winner, elevating a Crimson team which had started slowly (not counting Goodman's first in the second class of the day) into first place with 27 points. However several of the schools chasing Crimson would have two more rides in later classes. Belinda Wenke, a Mount Holyoke Team Snookie junior from Woodbridge, Connecticut won section B, raising that particular MHC team into double digits at 13. Wenke was the only rider to win the same division at both today's show and the Holiday Tournament in Long Valley, New Jersey on December 5th. Virginia Intermont Black hit the 20 point plateau as Katy Haupt was third. Drew Nichols of Lynchburg was fourth, moving Lynchburg into third for the moment. Carole Lemos-Wade of Tufts was fifth, bringing the Jumbos into double digits at 10 points. Diana Roberts put Mary Washington Team Blue on the scoreboard for the first time with a sixth. Bridgewater Crimson 27, Delaware Valley 23, Lynchburg 22, Mount Holyoke The Situation 22, Bridgewater Gold 21, Virginia Intermont Black 20, Virginia Tech Enter Sandman 18, University of New Hampshire 18, Lafayette 17, Virginia Intermont Gold 17, University of Michigan 15, Mount Holyoke Team Snookie 13, University of Mary Washington Gray 12, Virginia Tech Team Hokie Nation 11, Tufts 10 and all others mathematically eliminated from the top spot.

Virginia Tech Coach Sherri West (on left) and IHSA Founder and Executive Director Bob Cacchione hold the Tournament of Champions Series Trophy, awarded to Virginia Tech for the 2009-10 season. Team Enter Sandman won the Pre-Season Tournament while finishing second overall at the Winter Tournament.

The second section of novice fences was the final class of the day for The Situation (does anyone know why the show program listed them as THE Situation, with 'THE' capitolized?). Mount Holyoke freshman Sally Gibb, who had won this division on December 5th while placing second in it way back on September 27th, finished third. This meant The Situation was over with 26 points. Anna Norwood, a Virginia Tech Enter Sandman rider who had swapped places in the division with Gibb at the first two Tournament shows, repeated her September 27th blue ribbon effort. The sophomore from Hillsborough, North Carolina put the Sandman into third with 25 points overall. Chelsea Dressler of Virginia Intermont Black had not ridden all day but would mount up twice over the final three team classes. Dressler was second to move VI Black into a tie with Enter Sandman while keeping their blue ribbon hopes alive. Bridgewater Gold moved to within a point of Enter Sandman and VI Black, as Lindsey Good was the fourth place winner. The University of New Hampshire reached 20 points at a tournament show for what is believed the first time in program history as Frazier was fifth. UNH still had a shot to tie for high point. Mary Jane Steward closed out the University of Georgia scoring with a sixth. Bridgewater Crimson 27, Mount Holyoke The Situation 26, Virginia Intermont Black 25, Virginia Tech Enter Sandman 25, Bridgewater Gold 24, Delaware Valley 23, Lynchburg 22, University of New Hampshire 20, Lafayette 17, Virginia Intermont Gold 17, Michigan 15, MHC Team Snookie 13, Mary Washington Gray 12, Virginia Tech Hokie Nation 11, Tufts 10, others in single digits.

The second section of open flat marked the end of the day for Lafayette, Michigan, New Hampshire, Virginia Intermont Gold and Virginia Tech Enter Sandman. Though they had already been mathematically eliminated from the top spot, Lafayette made a bid for the top six, as Danielle Miranda was tops in the field of 11. The sophomore from Mendham, New Jersey was the third Leopard of the day to win a class, closing out the defending Zone 3, Region 4 champs scoring at 24 points. Miranda's ability to finish one place above Flower of Enter Sandman would effect the final outcome. Flower, who was not done riding as she would be called back for the jumping phase of the medal division, earned the red ribbon, giving Enter Sandman the lead with 30 points for the moment. Delaware Valley moved into a tie for second as Terrence Prunty was third. The senior from Cranford, New Jersey would also take part in the jumping phase of the Medal. Team Snookie had two riders in the final two team classes, with Lindsay Sceats fourth to raise their total to 16 points. A junior from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Sceats would also join Flower, Prunty and Miranda in the second phase of the Medal. Kate Corda closed out the UNH scoring with a fifth. Brittany Hill gave Mary Washington Blue their second point with a sixth. Schools with an asterisk were still alive for high point going into the final team class: Virginia Tech Enter Sandman 30*, Bridgewater Crimson 27, Delaware Valley 27*, Mount Holyoke The Situation 26, Virginia Intermont Black 25*, Bridgewater Gold 24*, Lafayette 24, Lynchburg 22, University of New Hampshire 22, Virginia Intermont Gold 17, Mount Holyoke Team Snookie 16 and the rest in double digits unchanged.

With the results read aloud from first through sixth, it took a moment for the huddled masses to figure out who the Winter Champion was following section B of Novice Flat. First to hear her name announced was Jacqueline Knutson of Mount Holyoke Snookie. A senior from Park City, Utah Knutson eliminated Bridgewater Gold from the top spot while moving her MHC team into the top ten and a final total of 23. Second place went to Ropelewski of Virginia Tech Hokie Nation. Ropelewski raised HN's total to 16 for the day but more importantly eliminated Zone 4, Region 3 rival Virginia Intermont Black from a shot at high point. For the first time since the 2003-04 season Virginia Intermont would not win a Tournament event. Third place made all the difference in the world. Kathryn Gibson of Delaware Valley College was the yellow ribbon winner, giving the Aggies points in seven of the eight divisions and a total of 31, enough to pull ahead of Enter Sandman for High Point Team. Rounding out the placings were Christine Cook of Mary Washington Gray (which finished with 15), Emily Eckenberger of Lynchburg (whose fifth moved the Hornets even with Lafayette and Bridgewater Gold, though through tiebreakers they would be eighth) and Dressler of VI Black, the latter raising her team's total to 26 points. This turned out to be the high score for a VI team at one of the 2009-10 Tournament Events. Though they did not win any of the three Tournament shows this season VI is still seen as the most dominating team at all Tourney events combined since the new milennium began. A tie for first with Miami of Ohio at the 2002 Holiday Tournament started the ball rolling. Stonehill College handed VI a 36-35 defeat at the 2003 Pre-Season Tournament (In Bristol no less, but remember Stonehill was the defending National Champion at the time). Had VI scored two more points that September day their run of consecutive seasons with at least one Tournament Championship would have rund for seven seasons. At least twice VI swept a full season's worth of Tournament events. And don't forget VI's first-ever IHSA National Championship at the end of the 2003-04 season came after going 0-for-2 at Tournament events during the Regular Season. If they can stay ahead of Virginia Tech and St. Andrews Presbyterian College plus survive Zone 4 Zones VI will try to repeat that scenario.

From left to right are Head Coach Cory Kieschnick, Terence Prunty (the Captain), Jessica Buck (known as J-Buck to her teammates), Devan McNamara, Ciara Menkens (the first-ever Freshman Co-Captain in program history), Kathryn 'Kat' Gibson, Amanda Batista, Kristin Lawrence (known to her teammates as 'Klawrence!'), Krista Dwyer and Assistant Coach Emily Miller of Delaware Valley College. Gibson was one of four Aggie riders to place third during the day. However it was Gibson's ribbon which made Delaware Valley the Winter Tournament Champion. The Aggies won 31-30 over Virginia Tech's Enter Sandman team to become the first Zone 3 school in a generation to win a Tournament event.

Before the team awards and ribbons could be given out there was one small piece of business to be taken care of. Twelve riders were invited back to compete in the jumping phase of the Medal Division. This particular phase took a significant amount of time, with four riders called back to test. Roughly an hour after it had started, it was time to give out the Medal ribbons. Twelfth place went to Prunty while eleventh went to Kelsey Shrader of Bridgewater College. Miranda was tenth while Allison O'Neil of Mount Holyoke was ninth, the latter the only rider to receive a re-ride during the jumping phase. Sceats was eighth, Brandt seventh and Mirson sixth, the latter being added to the Medal class on the day of the show due to a scratch. VI Head Coach Eddie Federwisch accepted the green ribbon on Mirson's behalf as much of his team was on another part of the Hazelwild Farm property tending to horses they had brought in all the way from Bristol. While Ciara Menkens of Delaware Valley College did not compete in a team class the freshman from Brick Township, New Jersey was fifth overall in the Medal division. The first of four riders who were tested to hear her name announced was Mary Ryan Richardson of host Mary Washington. Carolyn Kelsey of the University of New Hampshire, who had finished seventh way back in section A of open fences, earned third place overall. Ironically this meant the remaining two riders were both from the same team. For Jennifer Osterman the day was a very successful learning experience. The Virginia Tech freshman from nearby Potomic, Maryland wound up second in the Medal Class during her first IHSA-related competition of any kind. For Brett Flower it was business as usual. The Virginia Tech senior from Old Lyme, Connecticut was already familiar with Tournament events and the Medal division. While she had finished seventh in the division in September this time Flower was the grand champion.

A very short time later the team ribbons were awarded. The University of New Hampshire was tenth while Mount Holyoke Team Snookie was ninth. The tiebreaker gave eighth to Lynchburg, seventh to Bridgewater Gold and sixth to Lafayette, though each scored 24 points. Virginia Intermont Black scored 26 but saw Mount Holyoke The Situation earn the white ribbon also by way of a tiebreaker. Third place went to Bridgewater Team Crimson with 27. It was a nice return to Hazelwild Farm for Bridgewater Assistant Coach Beth Boteler, who co-coached the Eagles with Teresa Seay the past few seasons before becoming the Assistant Coach to Sarah Irvine at Bridgewater (ironically Bridgewater College and the University of Mary Washington share the same school nickname, the Eagles. Boteler could also claim a connection with Virginia Tech, having been class of 2000 in Blacksburg while still known as Beth Blackwell). The Reserve Championship went to Virginia Tech Enter Sandman, but for all the hoopla one might have thought they were high point team. IHSA Founder and Executive Director Bob Cacchione along with Gwen Arrigon presented the Tournament of Champions Series Trophy to Virginia Tech Head Coach Sherri West, while all Virginia Tech riders in attendance posed for a photo (Tournament Organizer Jim Arrigon, Gwen's husband, was otherwise occupied annoucing the results and taking care of other business related to the show). With a first at the pre-season event and a second today VT was overwhelmingly in first place in total Tournament Points, a program first. Finally it was time for Delaware Valley to receive the high point team award for the day. Now in her eighth season as Head Coach it was the first Tournament victory for Cory Kieschnick and the first time for the Aggies (Hazelwild has proven to be a lucky venue for Assistant Coach Emily Miller, a 2007 Delaware Valley graduate who last April coached Sweet Briar College to first place at Zone 4 Zones while still known as Emily Casali). Since Campus Equestrian debuted in August 2002 this is the first time a Zone 3 school has won a Tournament event (can anyone confirm a Zone 3 school ever winning a Tournament show prior to today?). With the win in the books the Aggies now concentrate on trying to repeat as Zone 3, Region 2 champions. The University of Delaware and Delaware Valley are tied for high point team with three Region 2 hunter seat shows still to come.

What's next?: While the next time many of these schools see each other will be at 2009 IHSA Nationals in Lexington, Kentucky, the 2010-11 Tournament Series Schedule is partially set. Goucher College will host the Pre-Season Tournament on September 26th while Savannah College of Art & Design will host the Holiday Tournament on December 4th (cross your fingers for warm weather at the southernmost tournament locale since January of '07). The Winter Classic is scheduled for January 29th, 2011, though no location has been confirmed. Personally this writer is hoping for the day that a Tournament event takes place west of Ohio for the first time since perhaps the 1990's. It would be interesting to see which schools from the Nation's Heartland would take part if travel was not such an issue.

--Steve Maxwell

Show Incidentals: Heavy snow throughout the day, with seven inches having fallen by the conclusion of the show. Temperatures in the upper teens. Entire show held indoors. Start time: 9:21AM. Finish: 4:05PM. Judge: Michelle Morosky. Stewards: Ginny Smith/University of Georgia; Patte Zumbrun/Goucher College and Joleen DeWitt/Northern Illinois University. This show was Hunter Seat or English only.

Team Totals: Delaware Valley College (High Point Team) 31; Virginia Tech - Team Enter Sandman (Reserve) 30; Bridgewater College - Team Crimson 27; Mount Holyoke College - The Situation 26; Virginia Intermont College - Team Black 26; Lafayette College 24; Bridgewater College - Team Gold 24; Lynchburg College 24; Mount Holyoke College - Team Snookie 23; University of New Hampshire 22; Virginia Intermont College - Team Gold 17; Virginia Tech - Team Hokie Nation 16; University of Michigan 15; University of Mary Washington - Team Gray 15; Tufts University 10; Goucher College 9; University of Georgia 6; University of Wisconsin at Madison 3; Northern Illinois University - Team Black 2; University of Mary Washington - Team Blue 2 and Northern Illinois University - Team Red 0.

Class-by-class results, in the order in which they were held:

Intermediate equitation on the flat - Section A: 1. Kat Chrysostom, Bridgewater College - Team Gold. 2. Paige Messick, Virginia Tech - Team Enter Sandman. 3. Kelly Leaman, University of Michigan. 4. Cecillia Pontoriero, Tufts University. 5. Amanda Ek, University of New Hampshire. 6. Shannon Brown, University of Mary Washington - Team Gray. 7. Bridget Conner, University of Georgia.

Open equitation over fences - Section A: 1. Shelby Goodman, Bridgewater College - Team Crimson. 2. Devan McNamara, Delaware Valley College. 3. Ashley Miller, Virginia Intermont College - Team Gold. 4. Katie Christiansen, Tufts University. 5. JoJo Gutfarb, Mount Holyoke College - The Situation. 6. Karli Postel, Goucher College. 7. Carolyn Kelsey, University of New Hampshire.

Intermediate equitation on the flat - Section B: 1. Kelsey Work, Lafayette College. 2. Tara Bliss, Mount Holyoke College - Team Snookie. 3. Kristin Lawrence, Delaware Valley College. 4. Elizabeth Mirson, Virginia Intermont College - Team Gold. 5. Kelly Nottingham, Virginia Tech - Team Hokie Nation. 6. Taylor Fellows, Lynchburg College. 7. Haley Cook, University of Mary Washington - Team Blue.

Open equitation over fences - Section B: 1. Emily Wolek, Bridgewater College - Team Gold. 2. Audrey Hanlon, Virginia Intermont College - Team Black. 3. Kristy Kenn, University of Michigan. 4. Brett Flower, Virginia Tech - Team Enter Sandman. 5. Laura Stremke, Northern Illinois University - Team Black. 6. Lorrin Mortimer, University of Georgia. 7. Danielle Miranda, Lafayette College.

Intermediate equitation over fences - Section A: 1. Jessica Buck, Delaware Valley College. 2. Chelsea Hames, Bridgewater College - Team Gold. 3. Paige Messick, Virginia Tech - Team Enter Sandman. 4. Bailey Cone, Virginia Intermont College - Team Black. 5. Haley Selch, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 6. Allison O'Neil, Mount Holyoke College - Team Snookie. 7. Kerry Sachs, Tufts University.

Walk-trot-canter equitation on the flat - Section A: 1. Erin Duggan, Lafayette College. 2. Lauren O'Neil, Virginia Tech - Team Hokie Nation. 3. Valerie Goeman, University of New Hampshire. 4. Caroline Thompson, Lynchburg College. 5. Alex Uden, Tufts University. 6. Kate McManis, Virginia Intermont College - Team Black. 7. Janet Greider, University of Mary Washington - Team Blue.

Intermediate equitation over fences - Section B: 1. Krissy Guthrie, Lynchburg College. 2. Sarah Leavitt, University of Mary Washington - Team Gray. 3. Amanda Shamer, Virginia Intermont College - Team Gold. 4. Kelsey Work, Lafayette College. 5. Bridget Conner, University of Georgia. 6. Caitlin Hewitt, Bridgewater College - Team Crimson. 7. Courtney Walski, Virginia Tech - Team Hokie Nation.

Novice equitation on the flat - Section A: 1. Emily Coggins, Mount Holyoke College - The Situation. 2. Kate Frazier, University of New Hampshire. 3. Addie Jabin, Goucher College. 4. Claire Mawdsley, Virginia Intermont College - Team Gold. 5. Lindsay Ferguson, Bridgewater College - Team Crimson. 6. Kristin Wavell, Virginia Tech - Team Enter Sandman. 7. Amara Channell, University of Georgia.

Walk-trot equitation on the flat - Section A: 1. Phil Trombley, University of New Hampshire. 2. Kim Escobar, Virginia Tech - Team Enter Sandman. 3. Paulina Erni, Mount Holyoke College - The Situation. 4. Amanda Batista, Delaware Valley College. 5. Kirstina Glenn, Bridgewater College - Team Gold. 6. Rebecca Kaczmerek, Virginia Intermont College - Team Gold. 7. Sarah Davis, University of Mary Washington - Team Gray.

Open equitation on the flat - Section A: 1. Audrey Hanlon, Virginia Intermont College - Team Black. 2. Lindsey Barrett, Bridgewater College - Team Crimson. 3. Amory Brandt, Goucher College. 4. Jordan Rooney, Lynchburg College. 5. Elizabeth Tripp, Mount Holyoke College - The Situation. 6. Jennifer Osterman, Virginia Tech - Team Hokie Nation. 7. Lorrin Mortimer, University of Georgia.

Walk-trot-canter equitation on the flat - Section B: 1. Anne Tucker, Mount Holyoke College - The Situation. 2. Clair Maher, University of Mary Washington - Team Gray. 3. Krista Dwyer, Delaware Valley College. 4. Ryan Carroll, Bridgewater College - Team Crimson. 5. Katherine Cerny, University of Georgia. 6. Michelle Ahmann, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 7. Sarene Cullen, Virginia Intermont College - Team Gold.

Novice Equitation over fences - Section A: 1. Julia Jordan, University of Michigan. 2. Rachel Jones, Lynchburg College. 3. Katie Leonard, Bridgewater College - Team Crimson. 4. Jessica Ropelewski, Virginia Tech - Team Hokie Nation. 5. Casey Gilligan, Virginia Intermont College - Team Gold. 6. Christine Cook, University of Mary Washington - Team Gray. 7. Merisa Doonan, Northern Illinois University - Team Black.

Walk-trot equitation on the flat - Section B: 1. Belinda Wenke, Mount Holyoke College - Team Snookie. 2. Corrie Fitz, Bridgewater College - Team Crimson. 3. Katy Haupt, Virginia Intermont College - Team Black. 4. Drew Nichols, Lynchburg College. 5. Carole Lemos-Wade, Tufts University. 6. Diana Roberts, University of Mary Washington - Team Blue. 7. Katie Kubacki, University of Michigan.

Novice equitation over fences - Section B: 1. Anna Norwood, Virginia Tech - Team Enter Sandman. 2. Chelsea Dressler, Virginia Intermont College - Team Black. 3. Sally Gibb, Mount Holyoke College - The Situation. 4. Lindsey Good, Bridgewater College - Team Gold. 5. Kate Frazier, University of New Hampshire. 6. Mary Jane Steward, University of Georgia. 7. Kathryn Gibson, Delaware Valley College.

Open equitation on the flat - Section B: 1. Danielle Miranda, Lafayette College. 2. Brett Flower, Virginia Tech - Team Enter Sandman. 3. Terence Prunty, Delaware Valley College. 4. Lindsay Sceats, Mount Holyoke College - Team Snookie. 5. Kate Corda, University of New Hampshire. 6. Brittany Hill, University of Mary Washington - Team Blue. 7. Ashley Miller, Virginia Intermont College - Team Gold.

Novice equitation on the flat - Section B: 1. Jacqueline Knutson, Mount Holyoke College - Team Snookie. 2. Jessica Ropelewski, Virginia Tech - Team Hokie Nation. 3. Kathryn Gibson, Delaware Valley College. 4. Christine Cook, University of Mary Washington - Team Gray. 5. Emily Eckenberger, Lynchburg College. 6. Chelsea Dressler, Virginia Intermont College - Team Black. 7. Kerry Sachs, Tufts University.

Medal Division: 1. Brett Flower, Virginia Tech. 2. Jennifer Osterman, Virginia Tech. 3. Carolyn Kelsey, University of New Hampshire. 4. Mary Ryan Richardson, University of Mary Washington. 5. Ciara Menkens, Delaware Valley College. 6. Elizabeth Mirson, Virginia Intermont College. 7. Amory Brandt, Goucher College. 8. Lindsay Sceats, Mount Holyoke College. 9. Allison O'Neil, Mount Holyoke College. 10. Danielle Miranda, Lafayette College. 11. Kelsey Shrader, Bridgewater College. 12. Terence Prunty, Delaware Valley College.