Campus Equestrian: Zone 8, Region 2 Home Page

IHSA ZONE 8 - REGION 2

West Coast Camaraderie in North Carolina! Ellie Kurtz of the University of Southern California (on left) and Trojan teammate Izzy Baker (on right) pose with Parker Watt of Stanford University on the third day of 2024 IHSA Nationals in Mill Spring, North Carolina last May 5th. Both Kurtz and Baker scored team points for the Trojans over the three-day weekend, with Kurtz (sophomore, from Seattle, Washington) sixth in team open over fences and Baker (junior, from Portland, Oregon) seventh in team open flat. Though they did not score team points in the first three team classes the University of Southern California rallied to finish with 20 points and tie Penn State University for eighth place in the hunter seat team competition at 2024 Nationals.

Excluding the Cacchione Cup Competition (which has multiple phases over more than one day) the Individual Introductory Equitation division was the only individual hunter seat class held on day two of 2024 IHSA Nationals. And Leticia Vaz of Cal Poly - Pomona nearly won the class. A sophomore originally from Brazil but now calling Aliso Viejo, California home, Vaz is seen here with coach Shawn Falcon prior to competing in the introductory class on May 4th. After having won the class at Zone 8 Zones on April 6th Vaz was second in the nation for the 2023-24 season when the class was placed that morning.

The scoring system is different at IHSA Nationals when compared to the regular season and Zones. While all other IHSA shows award seven points for first, five for second, four for third down to a point for sixth riders at Nationals receive something from first place through tenth. A first equals ten points, second eight points all the way down to a half point for tenth place. Hudson Gauthier of the University of Southern California (on right) earned ten of the Trojans' 20 points by placing first in team novice equitation on the flat at Nationals on May 4th. Coincidentally from Los Angeles, California, Gauthier is seen here with head coach Kat Griffiths who has seen her Trojans up their score each of the past two years at Nationals. Southern Cal scored 8 team points at '22 Nationals, 15.5 points in '23 and 20 (with half coming from Gauthier) in '24.

Ines Koch (on left) was the cheering section for Mila Quinonero Koch (on right) of the University of California at Los Angeles at IHSA Nationals on May 3rd. A junior from Mountain View, California, Quinonero Koch followed up her second in Individual Novice Equitation at Zone 8 Zones with a sixth in the division at Tyron International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina.

From Orinda, California, Eavan Bronfman of the University of Southern California (pictured) had the honor of being the first of 24 over fences riders to compete in the Cacchione Cup Competition in Mill Spring, North Carolina on May 4th. Bronfman received a combined score of '76' from judges Andrea Wells and Archie Cox but faired even better in the flat phase with a score of '82.' This added up to 158 which meant Bronfman made the top ten at ninth place to close out her senior year with the Trojans.

Four of the seven schools to compete in Region 2 during the 2023-24 season sent at least one rider through to IHSA Nationals. The University of California at San Diego had a qualifier in Kristen Lee (pictured). A sophomore from Cupertino, California, Lee edged out Quinonero Koch for the blue ribbon in individual novice equitation at Zone 8 Zones in Stanford, California on April 6th to reach Nationals in the division.

If you have a copy of the 2024 IHSA Nationals show program you won't find Ava Manning's name in it. A senior from Mukilteo, Washington, Manning was a late replacement for another University of Southern California rider and thus competed in team intermediate over fences on May 4th in her only IHSA Nationals appearance. A regional qualifier in limit flat, Manning is seen here waiting for the intermediate fences horse draw at Nationals. This writer is grateful to Manning for she proved Campus Equestrian with the points updates for Zone 8, Region 2 the past two seasons. It is people like Manning who provide statistical inforrmation such as the team standings and regional qualifiers you read about for the many regions on this site.

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The Zone 8, Region 2 Smorgasbord

Schools competing in Zone 8, Region 2 during the 2025-26 school year: Arizona State University, Cal Poly - Pomona, University of Arizona, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at San Diego and University of Southern California.

Winter/Spring 2026 Show Schedule for Zone 8, Region 2 (Zone 8, Region 2 is currently Hunter Seat Only):

Saturday, February 7 Arizona State University (Host) at Crossroads Farm, Gilbert, AZ 9:00AM

Sunday, February 8 Arizona State University (Host) at Crossroads Farm, Gilbert, AZ 9:00AM

Saturday, February 14 Cal Poly - Pomona (Host) on campus at Kellogg Arabian Horse Center, Pomona, CA 10:00AM

Sunday, February 15 Cal Poly - Pomona (Host) on campus at Kellogg Arabian Horse Center, Pomona, CA 10:00AM

Saturday, February 28 University of California at Los Angeles/University of California at San Diego (Co-Hosts) at Hansen Dam Equestrian Center, Lake View Terrace, CA 10:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

Sunday, March 1 University of California at Los Angeles/University of California at San Diego (Co-Hosts) at Hansen Dam Equestrian Center, Lake View Terrace, CA Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Sunday, March 1 Zone 8, Region 2 Hunter Seat Regionals at Hansen Dam Equestrian Center, Lake View Terrace, CA HELD FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF THE FINAL REGULAR SEASON SHOW

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

If any Region 2 schools currently field a Western team these schools would show Western in Zone 8, Region 1. Show Schedule subject to change.

Recent Region 2 Team Champions (During the 2019-20 season Western was not legal meaning there were fewer than five Region 2 Western shows held while no Region 2 Western shows were held in 2021-22 or 2022-23)

Hunter Seat:

1997 - University of San Diego
1998 - University of San Diego
1999 - ????????????????
2000 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2001 - ????????????????
2002 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2003 - University of San Diego
2004 - University of San Diego
2005 - University of San Diego
2006 - University of Southern California
2007 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2008 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2009 - University of Southern California
2010 - University of Southern California
2011 - University of Southern California
2012 - University of Southern California
2013 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2014 - University of Southern California
2015 - University of Southern California
2016 - University of Southern California
2017 - University of Southern California
2018 - University of Southern California
2019 - University of Southern California
2020 - University of Southern California
2022 - University of Southern California
2023 - University of Southern California
2024 - University of Southern California
2025 - University of Southern California

Western:

1997 - ??????????????????
1998 - ??????????????????
1999 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2000 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2001 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2002 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2003 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2004 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2005 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2006 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2007 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2008 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2009 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2010 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2011 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2012 - Arizona State University
2013 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2014 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2015 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2016 - University of Arizona
2017 - Cal Poly-Pomona
2018 - University of Arizona
2019 - Arizona State University
2022 - Mount San Antonio College

Regional Qualifiers

Open Level Rider Standings

Team Standings

ZONE 8 NEIGHBORS

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