Campus Equestrian: Zone 8, Region 1 Home Page

IHSA ZONE 8 - REGION 1

The first Region 1 western rider to ribbon at 2025 IHSA Nationals was Sarah Costa of the College of the Sequoias. A senior from Springville, California, Costa poses with assistant coach Manuel Fleming (on left) and head coach Kim Pitigliano (on right) after placing fifth in individual ranch riding. The individual ranch class was the very first western class held over three days at 2025 IHSA Nationals which for the second consecutive year were held at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina. In May of 2026 Nationals will again be at Tryon, a historical first for the IHSA as no site has ever hosted three consecutive Nationals events.

If you attended IHSA Nationals in 2006 and proceeded to attend every Nationals since the one school you would find with a full hunter seat team entered every time is Stanford University. Cardinal coach Tina Davey (on right) is seen here in the stands within the Tryon indoor with Rebecca Rodriguez - Soto, a senior from Emerald Hills, California who was soon to compete in the team limit over fences last May 3rd. Rodriguez - Soto closed out her senior year with an eighth in the division to add two points to Stanford's eventual total of 20.5. This would put the Cardinal in ninth place when the Nationals team ribbons were awarded on May 4th.

Five Zone 8, Region 1 schools advanced at least one rider to 2025 IHSA Nationals. Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo advanced both a hunter seat and a western rider to Tryon, with Isabella Ionazzi (on left) being the hunter seat rider. A senior from Los Angeles, California, Ionazzi was second in individual limit on the flat at Zone 8 Zones in Stanford, California on April 5th to reach Nationals where she posed for this photo with head coach Lou Moore Jacobsen on May 2nd.

Somewhat unusually this photo features a hunter seat rider with the team's western coach. Alana Thalheimer of Sonoma State University (on left) won the individual limit over fences class at Zones on April 5th. From Petaluma, California, Thalheimer is seen here with Seawolves western coach Emma Jo Williams on the floor of the Tryon indoor after completing her jumping round at Nationals on May 2nd. Thalheimer finished her sophomore year with a ninth in the division at Tryon that day.

The leading Region 1 western open rider in 2024-25 was Abigail Bleichner of the University of California at Davis (on left). Seen here at Nationals with head coach Kris Urlaub the senior from Pleasant Hill, California was entered twice at Nationals. Bleichner was fourth in individual open reining at the Galva, Illinois Semifinal on March 15th to reach Nationals in the division along with multiple rides in the individual western high point open rider competition.

The only Region 1 rider to win a class at 2025 IHSA Nationals was Cara Sowa of Stanford University (on right). From Newport Beach, California Sowa is seen here being interviewed by Tricia Booker of In Stride Magazine after winning the final hunter seat class of the day on May 3rd, team novice equitation. Sowa thus earned ten of Stanford's 20.5 points in the final ride of her freshman season (Note: The scoring system for team points at IHSA Nationals is different from that at all other IHSA shows. First place at Nationals equals ten points, second equals eight, third seven all the way down to a half point for tenth. Therefore if you earn a top ten ribbon you put at least a half point on the scoreboard for your team).

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The Zone 8, Region 1 Smorgasbord

Schools competing in Zone 8, Region 1 during the 2025-2026 school year: Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo, College of the Sequoias, Reedley College, Sonoma State University, Stanford University, Unversity of California at Berkeley, University of California at Davis and University of California at Santa Cruz.

Winter/Spring 2026 Show Schedule for Zone 8, Region 1:

Saturday, January 24 Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo (Host) on campus at the Oppenheimer Family Equine Center, San Luis Obispo, CA 10:00AM WESTERN ONLY

Sunday, January 25 Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo (Host) on campus at the Oppenheimer Family Equine Center, San Luis Obispo, CA 9:00AM WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, February 7 Stanford University/Sonoma State University (Co-Hosts) at the Stanford Red Barn Equestrian Center, Stanford, CA 10:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

Sunday, February 8 Stanford University/Sonoma State University (Co-Hosts) at the Stanford Red Barn Equestrian Center, Stanford, CA 9:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, February 21 Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo (Host) on campus at the Oppenheimer Family Equine Center, San Luis Obispo, CA Time TBA WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, February 21 Zone 8, Region 1 Western Regionals Hosted by Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo on campus at the Oppenheimer Family Equine Center, San Luis Obispo, CA HELD FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF REGULAR SEASON FINALE - WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, February 28 Stanford University (Host) at the Stanford Red Barn Equestrian Center, Stanford, CA 10:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

Sunday, March 1 Zone 8 Region 1 Hunter Seat Regionals at the Stanford Red Barn Equestrian Center, Stanford, CA Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, March 21 WESTERN SEMIFINALS - DAY 1 Hosted by New Mexico State University at the New Mexico State Equestrian Center, Las Cruces, NM Time TBA WESTERN ONLY

Sunday, March 22 WESTERN SEMIFINALS - DAY 2 Hosted by New Mexico State University at the New Mexico State Equestrian Center, Las Cruces, NM Time TBA WESTERN ONLY

Sunday, March 29 ZONE 8 ZONES Hosted by Stanford University at the Stanford Red Barn Equestrian Center, Stanford, CA Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Friday through Sunday, May 1 - 3 IHSA NATIONALS at Tryon International Equestrian Center, Mill Spring, NC Time each day TBA ENGLISH AND WESTERN

Cal Poly - Pomona, which shows Hunter Seat in Zone 8, Region 2 may show Western in Zone 8, Region 1 during the 2025-26 season. Show Schedule subject to change.

Recent Region 1 Team Champions

Hunter Seat:

1997 - Fresno State
1998 - Fresno State
1999 - Fresno State
2000 - Fresno State
2001 - Fresno State
2002 - Fresno State
2003 - Fresno State
2004 - Fresno State
2005 - Fresno State
2006 - Stanford University
2007 - Stanford University
2008 - Stanford University
2009 - Stanford University
2010 - Stanford University
2011 - Stanford University
2012 - Stanford University
2013 - Stanford University
2014 - Stanford University
2015 - Stanford University
2016 - Stanford University
2017 - Stanford University
2018 - Stanford University
2019 - Stanford University
2020 - Stanford University
2022 - Stanford University
2023 - Stanford University
2024 - Stanford University
2025 - Stanford University

Western:

1997 - Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
1998 - Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
1999 - Fresno State
2000 - University of California at Davis
2001 - Fresno State
2002 - Fresno State
2003 - Fresno State
2004 - Fresno State
2005 - Fresno State
2006 - Fresno State
2007 - Stanford University
2008 - Stanford University
2009 - Stanford University
2010 - Stanford University
2011 - Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
2012 - Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
2013 - College of the Sequoias
2014 - Stanford University
2015 - Stanford University
2016 - Stanford University
2017 - Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
2018 - Reedley College
2019 - Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
2020 - Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
2022 - Stanford University
2023 - Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
2024 - College of the Sequoias
2025 - Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo

Regional Qualifiers

Open Level Rider Standings

Team Standings

ZONE 8 NEIGHBORS

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