AMHERST, Mass. (March 26, 2011) – The Mount Holyoke College riding team closed out its regular season with a bang, grabbing High Point honors at Sycamore Stables today. With their sixth title of the season, the Lyons secured their third straight Zone 1, Region 3 Championship. They finished 47 points in front of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the final regional standings.
Mount Holyoke will face off against the three other regional winners at home in the Zone 1 Championships on April 9. The top two finishers at that event will advance to the National Championships.
With her performance today, senior JoJo Gutfarb secured High Point Rider honors for Region 3. By doing so, she guaranteed herself a spot in the National Championships. The senior finished the year with 77 points, narrowly edging out classmates Lindsay Sceats and Elizabeth Tripp, who accumulated 73 points apiece. It was the third straight season that a Mount Holyoke rider earned the Cacchione Cup for Region 3. Last year, Sceats took home the crown before winning the national Cacchione Cup. The honor went to Cassie Herman '09 two seasons ago.
The Lyons racked up 36 points on the day to secure the title. They were followed in the top three by UMass (34) and Amherst College (27). The remainder of the field consisted of Westfield State University (23), Smith College (21), Springfield College (16), Landmark College (11), Hampshire College (9) and Williams College (0).
Mount Holyoke riders came up with nine blue ribbons on the day. In addition to first place finishes from Gutfarb (open fences), Sceats (open fences) and Tripp (open flat), first year Sarah Clinchy (beginner walk-trot-canter), sophomore Olivia Derks (beginner walk-trot-canter), junior Rebecca Hicks (novice fences), junior Jordan McMullen (novice fences), first year Ella Pittman (intermediate fences) and sophomore Allison Walters (intermediate flat) also picked up wins.
Sceats (open flat), Tripp (open fences), McMullen (novice fences) and sophomore Sally Gibb (intermediate flat) each qualified for the Zone 1, Region 3 Regional Championships with their performances today. The event will take place at Hadley Farms next Saturday. Sceats (open fences) and Tripp (open flat) had previously qualified in other divisions.
A total of 16 Lyons will compete in 20 classes. Also included in the group will be Gutfarb (open flat, open fences), Walters (novice flat), junior Margaret Swanson (intermediate flat, intermediate fences), senior Katharine Henderson (novice flat), sophomore Allison O'Neill (intermediate flat), senior Kathryn Viechnicki (novice flat), sophomore Clara Tate (novice fences), senior Belinda Wenke (walk-trot), junior Hadley King (walk-trot), sophomore Allison Reding (walk-trot-canter), senior Amanda Ross (walk-trot-canter) and first year Alexa Lohrer (open flat).
Final Zone 1, Region 3 Standings
1. Mount Holyoke College – 326
2. University of Massachusetts – 279
3. Smith College – 191
4. Amherst College – 176
5. Westfield State University – 154
6. Springfield College – 130
7. Landmark College – 100
8. Williams College – 89
9. Hampshire College – 73
