LONG VALLEY, N.J. – Behind two teams of eight riders, as well as a Collegiate Medal rider, the Mount Holyoke College equestrian team claimed victory at the Holiday Tournament of Champions. The show, which was hosted by Centenary College, saw Team Lyons and Team Blue, competed against 23 of the best riding teams in the country for the Champion title.

Senior Felicia Harrsch started the day for Team Blue, finishing sixth place in Open Fences.  Senior captain Lexie Lohrer followed in Open Fences with a third place ride for Team Lyons.  Junior Jess Murray then put in an outstanding ride to win her section of Intermediate Fences for Team Lyons.

Senior Ella Pittman rode next in the Collegiate Medal flat phase, displaying an excellent trot lengthening to move on to the fences phase, where she rode to a sixth place finish. First-year Cam Carter followed, riding well for Team Blue to eighth place in Novice Fences.  Also in Novice Fences, sophomore Genevieve Couldwell put in a great ride for Team Lyons, receiving second place.

First-year Bridget Finnerty led off the flat classes for Team Blue, coming in third in Open Flat.  In Intermediate Flat, junior Abby Raucher finished second for Team Lyons, while junior Hannah Thornton, also riding for Team Lyons, was fourth. 

Switching to Team Blue, first-year Allee Platanitis rode to third place in Novice Flat.  In Walk-Trot, juniors Callie Calder and Christine Choo rode for Team Lyons and Team Blue, respectively, and both came in second place.  In the last class for Team Lyons, sophomore Jackie Azelby rode to a fourth place finish.  Closing out the day for Mount Holyoke and Team Blue was senior Robin Barson, who rode to sixth.

It came down to the final ride for both teams, but the MHC Team Lyons bested Centenary Team Blue on their home turf by two points, winning 32-30.  MHC Team Blue came in 12th place, a great finish out of 25 total teams. The UMass Amherst team also competed in the tournament and finished fifth overall.

College Results:

High Point Team - Mount Holyoke College Team Lyons, 32 points

Reserve High Point Team - Centenary College Team Blue, 30 points

3rd Place - Randolph College, 25 points

4th Place - Boston University, 24 points

5th Place - University of Massachusetts Amherst, 21 points

6th Place - Virginia Intermont College, 21 points

7th Place - Delaware Valley College, 21 points

8th Place - Savannah College of Art and Design, 20 points

The show closed out the fall semester for Mount Holyoke, which will return to action on January 25th at the 2014 Winter Tournament of Champions, hosted by the University of Mary Washington in Virginia.

Story courtesy of Anne Waldo, MHC Equestrian Team. Show photos courtesy of MHC Equestrian.