Riding Participates in Pre-Season Tournament

ROANOKE, Va. (Sept. 27, 2009) – The Mount Holyoke College riding team kicked off its 2009-10 campaign with a fifth place result at the Pre-Season Tournament of Champions Horse Show on Sunday. Twelve teams representing nine colleges from around the nation were present at the competition, which took place at the Hollins University Equestrian Center in Roanoke, Va. The event was the first installment of the three-part Tournament of Champions series.

Virginia Tech took home the High Point Championship by way of a 29 point performance. Bridgewater College grabbed Reserve High Point honors (27), and Berry College rounded out the top three (25).

In the first performance of her collegiate career, first year Allison O’Neill picked up a blue ribbon in her class of the intermediate fences division. Classmate Sally Gibb (novice fences), sophomore Jordan McMullen (novice flat) and junior Belina Wenke (walk-trot) chipped in with second place results in their respective divisions.

The Lyons will get their regular season slate underway at the University of Massachusetts Intercollegiate Horse Show on Saturday.