Chrissy Cadigan (center, without helmet) poses with many of her University of Virginia Teammates after placing second in advanced walk-trot-canter. Head Coach Kelli Ferroni Bachman (fourth on right) saw her cavalier team win outright for the first time in two seasons.

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA WINS JAMES MADISON/BRIDGEWATER SHOW

Weyers Cave, VA - They were reserve high point team six days earlier at Hollins. With first-place ribbons going to Kristi Wellington (intermediate flat), Kirkland Brown (intermediate fences), Lauren Richardson (same) and Addie McKinney (walk-trot), the cavaliers did themselves one better at Oak Manor, earning a season-high 37 points and first place on this day. Three red ribbons were also awarded to Virginia, including one to Wellington in her first-ever open fences ride. Her twelve total points put Wellington, from Fairfax Station, Virginia, into a ride-off for reserve, which she won versus Bridgewater's Alexis Starer.

When asked to comment on the performance of the cavaliers, Ferroni Bachman was quick and to the point. "My Girls Rock!," she said. When asked to elaborate, Ferroni Bachman became more analytical. "All of them as a group are going out there being 'thinking riders' and that makes it fun." When asked when was the last time Virginia had won an IHSA show, Ferroni Bachman could only say that it was not this season nor the last. We at Campus Equestrian think the cavaliers came out on top once during the 2002-03 season though we are still trying to prove it.

However the most interesting aspect of today's victory is how it affected the team standings. All four fall shows were very close, with Hollins winning by narrow margins over three different teams at the first three Region 2 competitions. Because the University of Virginia trailed Hollins by only ten points entering today's show, and the fact that the cavaliers earned 37 to Hollin's 27 put both in a tie for the top spot with perhaps three spring shows still to come.

Emma Mitchell won the lone blue ribbon of the day for Hollins in the second section of novice fences, while five consecutive Hollins riders won reserve ribbons, starting with the first open flat section and the current leader of the Region 2 open rider standings, Jenn Champagne. The junior from Troy, New York heads into the winter break with a seven point lead over last season's Cacchione representative, Caitlin Lane of Washington & Lee University.

Lane, a junior from Leesburg, Virginia, turned out to be the only rider on this day with two firsts. No other Washington & Lee riders won a blue ribbon, though three generals took home red ribbons while their 30 points put them nine behind Hollins and Virginia and into second place headed into the break.

Bridgewater finished second on this day, while James Madison was third. The co-hosts did very well in the blue ribbon department, as eagles won four times while the dukes led everyone with five. For Bridgewater it was Starer and Katie Grove winning novice flat classes, followed by blue ribbons for Cera Wadsworth in advanced walk-trot-canter and Rachel Lindamood in walk-trot. It should be noted that ten of seventeen classes had passed before Starer, a senior from Cape Charles, Virginia, won the first blue of the day for the eagles. As a bonus, Starer's blue ribbon advanced her to Regionals in novice flat. James Madison won their blue ribbons throughout the day, with Courtney Crunk (open fences), Noelle McNeil (open flat), Catherine Rodericks (novice fences), Jen Palmisano (intermediate flat), Catherine Rodericks (novice fences) and Bridget Holroyd (novice flat) all announced first. Bridgewater ended up with 33 while James Madison scored 31. The dukes lead the eagles overall by two points, with JMU 23 behind both Hollins and Virginia overall.

Did the blue ribbon arrive via Parcell Post?: Brittany Parcell of Randolph-Macon Woman's College earned the only blue ribbon of the day not awarded to Hollins, Bridgewater, Washington & Lee, James Madison or Virginia. Parcell came out on top in the second section of advanced walk-trot-canter. It was the freshman's first IHSA blue ribbon.

Catherine the great: James Madison freshman Catherine Rodericks rode for the third time in IHSA competition and for the third time won her novice fences class. If Rodericks can stay undefeated through two more shows she will find herself qualified for Regionals.

Sara the great: The indoor ring at Oak Manor, which was simply known as "The Indoor" in past seasons has been re-named the Irvine Arena of Oak Manor Farms. The name change is to honor Sara Irvine, the current Head Coach of both Bridgewater and James Madison, who was previously involved within the region as an assistant and later Head Coach at Southern Seminary. Irvine's ability to make a contender out of a non-existant program is her greatest strength. Irvine brought James Madison back into the IHSA in 1999-2000 and had the dukes in the top five that season! A year later Bridgewater joined the IHSA for the first time and was Reserve High Point Team three seasons later.

The new guy told me!: The tentative plan is for three Region 2 Spring Shows, though only one seems to be set in stone. The University of Virginia will host at the Barracks in late February. Lynchburg Coach Nick Caputo, a Centenary College graduate who later coached at Delaware Valley College says there is a strong chance his team and Randolph-Macon Woman's College will co-host another show in the Spring. Caputo, in his first season coaching Lynchburg, has the hornets in sixth place with 86 points. A third show may be co-hosted by Bridgewater and James Madison back at Oak Manor, though a date has not been determined.

More Stats from the Stat-Man: Bridgewater has been reserve high point team each of the past two seasons, though the eagles will have to make up roughly 25 points to continue or improve on that statistic...Hollins has the longest active streak of trips to IHSA Nationals by a hunter seat team, having taken a team every season since 1997-98... Hollins has won Region 2 ten of the past twelve seasons, getting edged out by Virginia Intermont in 1995-96 and 1996-97. Virginia Intermont moved into Zone 4, Region 3 following the 1998-99 season...Current leaders Hollins and the University of Virginia are the only schools in the Region to ever capture the hunter seat National Championship, with Hollins winning in 1993 and 1998 while Virginia won the honor in 1992 while still in what is now known as Zone 4, Region 1...Irvine and Randolph-Macon Woman's College Coach J.T. Talon have been either Head Coach or Assistant Coach while on the Coaching Staff of Southern Seminary when they were National Champion or Co-National Champion several times in the 1980's.

--Steve Maxwell

Show Incidentals: Sunny skies, temperatures into the low '70's. Entire show held indoors. Start time: 10:38AM. Finish: 2:48PM. Coaches and Captains Meeting held prior to start of show. Point Cards posted in this Region? Yes. Alumni Classes held in this region? No. Judge: Matt Collins, Culpepper, VA. Stewards: Hedrick-Williams/Washington & Lee, Peterson/Hollins University and Hearn/Longwood University.

Team Totals: University of Virginia (High Point Team) 37; Bridgewater College (Reserve) 33; James Madison University 31; Washington & Lee University 30; Hollins University 27; Randolph-Macon Womans' College 13; Radford University 10; Lynchburg College 8 and Longwood University 4.

High Point Rider - Caitlin Lane, Washington & Lee University
Reserve High Point Rider - Kristi Wellington, University of Virginia