Pace narrows the gap

(The following account was prepared by former Centenary rider Donna Dargel, whose undergraduate days ended with a first place ribbon in open flat at the Columbia show last March 3rd. Dargel will graduate this December and hopes to ride alumni starting Spring 2003. The following is a combination of her notes and story on the November 10th, 2002 zone 2, region 1 show, co-hosted by all 14 schools within the region and held at the Centenary College Riding Center.)

Long Valley, NJ - On Sunday November 10, 2002 the Zone 2 Region 1 Group show was held at Centenary College in Long Valley, NJ. The day was overcast with a few passing sprinkles, yet it was unseasonably warm with a high of 65. The show began at 9 and was over by 5. The judge for the day was Mr. Scott Burkhardt. The stewards were Mr. Peter Cashman (USMA Co-Coach), Ms. Tracy Villaverde (Pace Coach), and Mr. Andrew Penny (Vassar Coach). The Centenary Cyclones provided horses and courses. All colleges in the region worked together to produce a very well run and timely show.

The following were winners in the Open Fences Division: Jared Marinos from USMA, Kim Turnbull from Sarah Lawrence, and Maureen Burke from Pace (on the right, pictured with teammate Jamie Walsh). These riders gave their respective teams the first seven points of the day while Burkes' victory put Pace on the way to High Point College. The winners of the Intermediate Fences Division were Gillian Striano of Pace, Sarah Wanger of Columbia, and Caitlin McCall of Centenary. This helped keep Pace in the lead with 14 points after only two divisions. The following riders were first place winners in the Novice Fences Division: Katie Makara, Liz Cloutier and Suzanne Rausa of Centenary, Katherine Mendelson of USMA, and Shelia Kelle of Pace.

NYU Coach Dominique Vonsiatsky won the last fences class, the alumni fences. For the first time this season, Vonsiatsky won both alumni classes, winning the alumni flat following a lengthy lunch break/coaches & captains meeting. This was followed by the Open Flat Division, which was won by Annabel Benito of Centenary (section 7A), Kristen Schweiger also of Centenary (Section 7B) and Mara Halley of Marist (section 7C). Intermediate flat winners were Diana Chickosky of Sarah Lawrence, Amy Gregonis of Centenary, and Emily Vaughan of Drew. Nikola Henner, Andrea Davey, and Suzanne Rausa, all of Centenary, won Novice Flat classes as did Teresa D’Aurizio of Columbia and Sara Altens of Pace. This win gave Ms. Rausa her second of the day and allowed her to have the honor of being High Point Rider. “I’m so excited, I can’t believe I won," said Rausa following her second win on the same horse it turned out. The sophomore from Lancaster, PA chose Centenary because of its location and equine major curriculum. The only undergraduate rider with two firsts' today started riding at age 12 and can even claim to be the Centenary team treasurer.

The end of the Novice Division also brought about a tie for Reserve High Point Rider. This tie would be broken at the end of the day with a ride-off between Sara Altens of Pace and Emily Vaughan of Drew. This would be won by Altens, who was very grateful to her coaches and team for all of the support they have given her. The Pace freshman has been riding since the age of six and has mainly done 4-H and small C- rated USAE shows. She wanted to thank Coach Villaverde and say that the team would not have made it this far without her (Editors' Note: The ride-off today was only the second time since 1997 that a zone 2, region 1 horse show ended with a ride-off. Most Coaches within the region usually opt for a coin toss or some other option to break a tie for high point or reserve high point rider. The thinking behind this is to save the horses from the additional work. If the coaches, their riders and the show organizers say "Yes" to a ride-off then it happens. Today there was no objection to a ride-off, common practice in the vast majority of the IHSA, but a rarity here).

By this point the show had become much closer in score, with Centenary only three points behind Pace with two divisions left to go. However, Sarah Lawrence was quickly closing the gap along with USMA. The end of the Walk/Trot/Canter division (with winners including Molly Devine of Pace, Ariel Hunsman of Centenary, Kate Briney of USMA, and Pam Roura of Pace) would increase the setters' lead. The Walk/Trot division would be the deciding factor as to the winner and reserve for the day as is often the case in this Region. The Walk/Trot winners were Amy Snell of Marist, Kristina Rojos of Pace, and Sarah Piscitelli of Centenary. With both pointed Pace riders in the divisions below novice earning firsts, Pace earned a twelve point Victory with 40 points for the day. Centenary and USMA tied for reserve, both with 28.