Seen here at 2006 IHSA Nationals, Brittany Thaler is one of five Savannah College of Art & Design students bound for IHSA Nationals following the Bees' big day at Zone 5 Zones on April 7th.

REGION 3 DOMINATES ZONE 5 ZONES

Rome, GA - Between March 31st and April 7th all nine IHSA Zones staged their yearly Zones shows. These shows include eight individual undergraduate classes, where the top two riders in each individual class will advance to IHSA Nationals, and a team competition, where in six out of nine cases the top two teams in a three or four-way team competition also advance to Nationals.

Of all the Zones shows that took place, no one Region had as dominant a day as the schools of Zone 5, Region 3 did at the Gunby Equestrian Center on April 7th. Of the 16 'slots' available to the top two riders in each of the eight individual classes, eleven - yes eleven - went to Zone 5, Region 3 riders while four went to riders from Region 2 and one to Region 1. Savannah College of Art & Design saw five of their riders advance, as many as all the schools in the other two regions combined! Five different schools within Region 3 will send at least one hunter seat rider to Nationals, including two from the College of Charleston.

Coached since their inception by Bob Story, Charleston was competing with a full team at Zone 5 Zones for the 20th time since 1984. And has been the case all but perhaps two of those times the Cougars moved on to Nationals. On a day when several of the other Zones had ho-hum team competitions, the College of Charleston took what proved to be the lead for good when Tara Bliss won team novice fences. The freshman from Annapolis, Maryland had made the score Charleston 18, University of the South 15 and Berry College 15 through three classes. However Berry hung close, three times getting to within a point including the final score. The University of the South was alive until the seventh team class, when the lack of any blue ribbons in the team competition finally made third place inevitable. Charleston won with 45 points while host Berry was reserve with 44. The Tigers finished not far back with 39.

Lauren Brown of Berry had perhaps the best day of any Region 2 rider, earning a second in individual open flat while winning both team open classes. Caroline Beasley of Lander University earned two of Region 2's individual rides at Nationals, placing second in individual novice flat while winning the individual novice fences. Julie Pate of Maryville College can claim to be the only Zone 5, Region 1 undergraduate rider to place inside the top two individually at Zones. Pate was second in the individual advanced walk-trot-canter division.

--Steve Maxwell

Class-By-Class Results from 2007 Zone 5 Zones in Rome, Georgia with the top two riders in each individual class advancing to IHSA Nationals May 3rd through 6th in Springfield, Massachusetts:

Individual Open Equitation Over Fences: 1. Charlotte Powers, Clemson University. 2. Hannah Mayer, College of Charleston. 3. Stephanie McClain, Maryville College. 4. Elizabeth West, University of the South. 5. Catherine Meekins, University of South Carolina. 6. Lauren Brown, Berry College.

Team Open Equitation Over Fences: 1. Lauren Brown, Berry College. 2. Aly Jones, University of the South. 3. Ali Joyce, College of Charleston.

Individual Intermediate Equitation Over Fences: 1. Ali Joyce, College of Charleston. 2. Gloria Gonzalez, Savannah College of Art & Design. 3. Kim Kuik, University of Georgia. 4. Allyson Ketron, Maryville College. 5. Brittany Hillner, University of the South. 6. Amy Snoderly, Middle Tennessee State University. 7. Missaien Jenkins, University of South Carolina.

Team Intermediate Equitation Over Fences: 1. Julia Nichols, College of Charleston. 2. Eleanor Kibler, University of the South. 3. Dara Kaplan, Berry College.

Alumni Equitation Over Fences: 1. Tanya Bruce, Clemson University. 2. Meg Donahue, Saint Andrews Presbyterian College. 3. Ler Gullayanon, Georgia Tech University. 4. Katie Murphy, Wesleyan College. 5. Mawghan McCabe, Vanderbilt University. 6. Monica Rivelle, University of Central Florida.

Individual Novice Equitation Over Fences: 1. Caroline Beasley, Lander University. 2. Shannon Doherty, Florida State University. 3. Alaina Floyd, Clemson University. 4. Liz Rohr, Vanderbilt University. 5. Emily Middendorf, University of Georgia. 6. Shelby Clark, Middle Tennessee State University. 7. Megan Cloutier, Emory University. 8. Jen Miller, Murray State University. 9. Ashley Stokes, College of Charleston.

Team Novice Equitation Over Fences: 1. Tara Bliss, College of Charleston. 2. Ellen Yungmeyer, University of the South. 3. Lindsay Forshay, Berry College.

Team Open Equitation on the Flat: 1. Lauren Brown, Berry College. 2. Hannah Mayer, College of Charleston. 3. Elizabeth West, University of the South.

Individual Walk-Trot-Canter Equitation on the Flat: 1. Lauren McGlory, Savannah College of Art & Design. 2. Julie Pate, Maryville College. 3. Michelle Bacha, College of Charleston. 4. Kristin Farmer, Berry College. 5. Nicole Phelps, Lander University. 6. Mary Davis, Clemson University. 7. Megan Hines, Vanderbilt University. 8. Kim White, Middle Tennessee State University. 9. Kaitlyn Coffey, Georgia Southern University.

Individual Open Equitation on the Flat: 1. Muffy Warsaw, University of Florida. 2. Lauren Brown, Berry College. 3. Charlotte Powers, Clemson University. 4. Hannah Mayer, College of Charleston. 5. Ashley Tardiff, Maryville College. 6. Elizabeth West, University of the South. 7. Aly Jones, University of the South. 8. Kristen Bulkeley, Georgia State University.

Team Novice Equitation on the Flat: 1. Tess Mostyn, College of Charleston. 2. Hunter Bratton, University of the South. 3. Kristin Farmer, Berry College.

Individual Intermediate Equitation on the Flat: 1. Jamie Graham, Savannah College of Art & Design. 2. Brittany Thaler, Savannah College of Art & Design. 3. Samantha Erwin, Murray State University. 4. Rachel Volentine, Berry College. 5. Allyson Ketron, Maryville College. 6. Ali Joyce, College of Charleston. 7. Betsy Shrader, University of South Carolina. 8. Mary Harrison, University of the South. 9. Halley Stryker, University of Georgia.

Team Walk-Trot Equitation on the Flat: 1. Elissa Ferguson, Berry College. 2. Kara Holcomb, University of the South. 3. Lindsey Renken, College of Charleston.

Individual Novice Equitation on the Flat: 1. Emily Gaffey, Florida State University. 2. Caroline Beasley, Lander University. 3. Shelby Clark, Middle Tennessee State University. 4. Jaya Krutulin, University of Miami (FL). 5. Emily Beiting, Clemson University. 6. Emily Cavender, Middle Tennessee State University. 7. Emily Middendorf, University of Georgia. 8. Veronica Jones, University of Central Florida. 9. Jennifer Folda, University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Individual Walk-Trot Equitation on the Flat: 1. Amanda Klingler, Savannah College of Art & Design. 2. Kate Randell, Georgia Southern University. 3. Crystal Hall, Middle Tennessee State University. 4. Kim Breen, Murray State University. 5. Brielle Juhan, Berry College. 6. Nicole Balsone, Clemson University. 7. Miranda Andress, Murray State University.

Alumni Equitation on the Flat: 1. Mawghan McCabe, Vanderbilt University. 2. Meg Donahue, Saint Andrews Presbyterian College. 3. Katie Murphy, Wesleyan College. 4. Kristie McEvers, Georgia Southern University. 5. Tanya Bruce, Clemson University. 6. David James, Georgia Southern University.

Team Walk-Trot-Canter Equitation on the Flat: 1. Bridget Haley, College of Charleston. 2. Anna Bosworth, University of the South. 3. Allie Wetzel, Berry College.

Team Intermediate Equitation on the Flat: 1. Sarah Smith, Berry College. 2. Elizabeth Minchew, University of the South. 3. Erin Boles, College of Charleston.

Final Hunter Seat Team Totals, with the top two teams advancing to IHSA Nationals May 3rd through 6th in Springfield, Massachusetts: College of Charleston 45, Berry College 44 and University of the South 39.

(Special thanks to Mawghan McCabe and Tanya Bruce for their help in gathering these results - Editor)