University of Wisconsin at Madison Head Coach Mark Aplin (far left) is happy that his Badgers won six of eight team classes at Zone 9 Zones on April 13th. Some of his team riders also qualified individually as the Badgers earned six individual rides at the upcomming IHSA National show (photo courtesy Mark Aplin/University of Wisconsin at Madison Equestrian Team).

BADGERS WIN BIG; ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ALSO TAKES FULL HUNTER SEAT TEAM TO NATIONALS

Oregon, WI - The University of Wisconsin at Madison advanced a full team to IHSA Nationals for the fifth time in six seasons with a resounding 52-38 win over both St. Mary of the Woods College and Northern Illinois University. The Badgers used different riders in each of the eight team classes, with six of them able to deliver a blue ribbon. Wisconsin - Madison's 52 point total was the most of any hunter seat team competing in a Zones show this season.

Two Badgers earned a second blue ribbon, thanks to wins in individual classes. Joyce Williams followed up her team novice fences win with a first in individual novice flat while Lydia Sorenson won the individual walk-trot before having to canter for the blue ribbon in team walk-trot-canter three classes later. Also earning team blue ribbons for the Badgers were Genevieve Rubin (intermediate fences), Michelle Ahmann (walk-trot), Kim Pajakowski (intermediate flat) and Lauren Zappitelli, who earned the final blue ribbon of the show with a first in team open flat. Sarah Korenthal won individual intermediate over fences in addition to placing second in team open fences. Katie Martz (individual walk-trot-canter), Karen Kearney (second to Williams in individual novice flat) and alumni rider Jenny Aplin (alumni flat) all earned individual red ribbons to give the Badgers yet more Nationals qualifiers. Add Dana Reedy and her second in team novice flat into the mix and the Badgers will have 11 different hunter seat riders showing at least once in Burbank, California come May 8th through 11th.

While the Badgers ran away with first place in the team classes, the race for second and a trip to Nationals nearly saw Northern Illinois storm back from a 26-21 deficit. Christy Yankaitis won team novice flat for the Huskies to make it 30-28 in favor of St. Mary of the Woods. However down 34-33 going into the final class only a win would get Northern Illinois over the hump. With Zappitelli earning the Badgers' sixth team blue ribbon St. Mary had survived, having won the IHSA's third tiebreaker, which is points over fences. Coached by Krista Steinmetz (who beat out her Father Jerrys' Purdue team for Zone 9, Region 1 high point team in only her first season as an IHSA Head Coach) St. Mary of the Woods will field a full hunter seat team at the National show for the first time in program history.

St. Mary of the Woods also had an individual qualifier in Mary Bungum, who was second in individual novice over fences. Region 1 rival Purdue advanced a pair of individuals, as Audrey Fisher was second in individual intermediate flat while Heather Absalom won the first class of the day for the Boilermakers, earning the blue ribbon in individual open over fences.

Region 2 earned five individual undergraduate rides at Nationals, awarded to riders from four different schools. Region 2 Cacchione Cup qualifier Michael Lenard was second to Southern Illinois' Allison Cornman in individual open flat while Huskies teammate Heather Perelgut won individual intermediate flat. Maria Hossain of Washington University in St. Louis was second to Sorenson in individual walk-trot while Jane Papke may be the first rider in Illinois Wesleyan University to advance to Nationals. Papke won individual novice fences.

Unless we hear otherwise we presume Emily Harvey-Serfleck (or Serflek) is in the same boat. Harvey-Serfleck was second to Korenthal in individual intermediate fences which would make her the first University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse rider to reach Nationals in program history. A third Wisconsin school will be represented, as Jordan Palubicki of Wisconsin at River Falls won individual walk-trot-canter outright. Rounding out the individual undergraduate hunter seat placings was Marian Michelson, second to Absalom in individual open over fences.

Indiana University graduate Jeannine Bullion was the only alumni rider nationwide to win both of her hunter seat classes at any of the 2008 Zones shows. While Aplin was second to Bullion in alumni flat, Southern Illinois graduate Joanne Numrich was runner-up in alumni fences.

Zone 9 also held a Cacchione class, where each of the three region's top open riders rode in both a flat and fences phase, with the scores combined afterwards to determine the Zones' top open rider for the season. Rachel Erikson, who will be the first University of Minnesota - Twin Cities rider in program history to compete for the Cacchione Cup, won the division, with Lenard second and Jill Rountree of the University of Illinois third. The Cacchione class does not eliminate anyone, as all three riders are assured of competing at Nationals as the high point open rider in each region automatically qualifies for the National show in the division.

And not to leave any blue ribbon winner out, we would be remiss if we did not mention Aubrey Fait of St. Mary of the Woods won the first team class of the day, beating out Korenthal and Lenard in team open fences. If we had left her out that would be tempting Fait now wouldn't it?

--Steve Maxwell

Class-By-Class Results from Zone 9 Zones, held April 13th, 2008 in Oregon, Wisconsin, with the top two riders in each individual class advancing to IHSA Nationals May 8th through 11th in Burbank, California:

Individual Open Equitation Over Fences: 1. Heather Absalom, Purdue University. 2. Marian Michelson, South Dakota State University. 3. Michael Lenard, Northern Illinois University. 4. Jen Hauser, Purdue University.

Team Open Equitation Over Fences: 1. Aubrey Fait, St. Mary of the Woods College. 2. Sarah Korenthal, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 3. Michael Lenard, Northern Illinois University.

Individual Intermediate Equitation Over Fences: 1. Sarah Korenthal, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 2. Emily Harvey Serfleck, University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse. 3. Katie Kortum, Purdue University. 4. Hannah Schroller, Kansas State University. 5. Cary Reed, Parkland College. 6. Kristina Howell, Washington University.

Team Intermediate Equitation Over Fences: 1. Genevieve Rubin, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 2. Molly Migliaccio, St. Mary of the Woods College. 3. Heather Perelgut, Northern Illinois University.

Individual Novice Equitation Over Fences: 1. Jane Papke, Illinois Wesleyan University. 2. Mary Bungum, St. Mary of the Woods College. 3. Laura Hoff, South Dakota State University. 4. Kristin Tvradik, Illinois Wesleyan University. 5. Karen Kearney, University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Team Novice Equitation Over Fences: 1. Joyce Williams, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 2. Jaime Sawka, Northern Illinois University. 3. Sarah Kniesly, St. Mary of the Woods College.

Individual Alumni Equitation Over Fences: 1. Jeannine Bullion, Indiana University. 2. Joanne Numrich, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. 3. Jenny Aplin, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 4. Lauren Sappenfield, Purdue University.

Individual Walk-Trot Equitation on the Flat: 1. Lydia Sorenson, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 2. Maria Hossain, Washington University. 3. Brittany Campbell, University of Illinois. 4. Karey Bussinger, Indiana University. 5. Janea Hanson, University of Minnesota at Crookston. 6. Emily Ross, Northwestern University.

Team Walk-Trot Equitation on the Flat: 1. Michelle Ahmann, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 2. Melissa Madsen, St. Mary of the Woods College. 3. Matt Davis, Northern Illinois University.

Individual Walk-Trot-Canter Equitation on the Flat: 1. Jordan Palubicki, University of Wisconsin at River Falls. 2. Katie Martz, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 3. Kiersten Wiley, Purdue University. 4. Christy Yankaitis, Northern Illinois University. 5. Amy Pearson, Augustana College. 6. Lillian Munson, Indiana University.

Team Walk-Trot-Canter Equitation on the Flat: 1. Lydia Sorenson, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 2. Cortni Bigley, St. Mary of the Woods College. 3. Marissa Doonan, Northern Illinois University.

Individual Novice Equitation on the Flat: 1. Joyce Williams, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 2. Karen Kearney, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 3. Mary Bungum, St. Mary of the Woods College. 4. Jessica Grissom, Indiana University. 5. Erin Affrunti, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. 6. Leah Clark, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Team Novice Equitation on the Flat: 1. Christy Yankaitis, Northern Illinois University. 2. Dana Reedy, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 3. Sarah Kniesly, St. Mary of the Woods College.

Individual Alumni Equitation on the Flat: 1. Jeannine Bullion, Indiana University. 2. Jenny Aplin, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 3. Lauren Sappenfield, Purdue University. 4. Joanne Numrich, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. 5. Erica Luboyeski, University of Connecticut. 6. Jennifer Reed, Missouri State University.

Individual Intermediate Equitation on the Flat: 1. Heather Perelgut, Northern Illinois University. 2. Audrey Fisher, Purdue University. 3. Katie Kortum, Purdue University. 4. Claire Patterson, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 5. Ari Mishkin, Washington University. 6. Lauren Zappitelli, University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Team Intermediate Equitation on the Flat: 1. Kim Pajakowski, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 2. Kathrynn Scheiss, Northern Illinois University. 3. Molly Migliaccio, St. Mary of the Woods College.

Combined Fences and Flat Phases of Cacchione Class (all three riders automatically qualified for Nationals during the regular season): 1. Rachel Erikson, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. 2. Michael Lenard, Northern Illinois University. 3. Jill Rountree, University of Illinois.

Individual Open Equitation on the Flat: 1. Allison Cornman, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. 2. Michael Lenard, Northern Illinois University. 3. Heather Absalom, Purdue University. 4. Rachel Erickson, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. 5. Jill Rountree, University of Illinois. 6. Kaitlyn Kochanski, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

Team Open Equitation on the Flat: 1. Lauren Zappitelli, University of Wisconsin at Madison. 2. Michael Lenard, Northern Illinois University. 3. Aubrey Fait, St. Mary of the Woods College.

Final Hunter Seat Team Totals, with the top two teams advancing to IHSA Nationals May 8th through 11th in Burbank, California: University of Wisconsin at Madison 52 (Champion); St. Mary of the Woods 38 (Reserve; Won third tiebreaker which is points over fences) and Northern Illinois University 38.