Riding Finishes 4th at Winter I Tournament of Champions Event

WEYERS CAVE, Va. - The MHC Equestrian Team sent two teams of riders (Team Blue & Team Columbia Blue) and two medal riders to Bridgewater College for the Winter I Tournament of Champions. It was another solid event for the Lyons as Team Blue placed fourth among the team's in this year's field.

Starting the day in Open Fences, sophomore Bridget Finnerty had a beautiful round for a fifth place finish for Team Columbia Blue. In the second section of Open Fences first-year Mollie Kowalchik rode to second place for Team Blue. First-year Maddy Skrak then put in a winning round for Team Blue in Intermediate Fences, followed by senior Anne Waldo placing third in the second section for Team Columbia Blue.

In Open Flat, senior Hannah Thornton rode well on a difficult horse before receiving a re-ride where she placed second for Team Columbia Blue. Sophomore Allee Platanitis then rode in Novice Flat for Team Columbia Blue, coming in fourth place. In the other section of Open Flat, senior Abby Raucher rode to fifth place for Team Blue, and first-year Mika McKinney rode very well in Novice Flat for Team Blue but unfortunately didn't place.

First-year Illianna Termuehlen then rode beautifully for a first place finish in Walk-Trot for Team Blue, and in the other section junior Alexis Holliday had a good ride for Team Columbia Blue but didn't place. In Intermediate Flat, senior Jess Murray riding for Team Columbia Blue also looked beautiful but unfortunately didn't place.

Next came a win with first-year Brina Fox riding for Team Blue in Walk-Trot-Canter, followed by a sixth-place ride for junior Jackie Azelby riding for Team Columbia Blue in Walk-Trot-Canter. In the other section of Intermediate Flat, junior Genevieve Couldwell had a good ride for Team Blue but also didn't place.

After a brief schooling session, senior Sam Stone and sophomore Cam Carter rode in Novice Fences for Team Blue and Team Columbia Blue, respectively, but despite good riding didn't place.

Seniors Claire Herlin and Maura Zaldonis both competed in the Tournament of Champions Medal class, where everyone rides in a flat phase and the top 10 riders are then called back to jump. Both Herlin and Zaldonis were called back, making MHC the only team to have two riders called back to jump. Herlin then placed seventh while Zaldonis came in second out of 18 riders.

MHC Team Blue finished the day with 28 points, putting them in 4th place, while Team Columbia Blue had 15 points to keep them out of the ribbons.

Next week MHC will compete at the Winter II Tournament of Champions at St Andrews University in North Carolina.

Team Results:

1st Place - Savannah College of Art and Design Team Black, 33 points

2nd Place - Sweet Briar College, 32 points

3rd Place - Bridgewater College Team Gold, 31 points

4th Place - Mount Holyoke College Team Blue, 28 points

5th Place - Pennsylvania State University Team White, 25 points

6th Place - Savannah College of Art and Design Team Gold, 23 points

7th Place - Pennsylvania State University Team Blue, 23 points

8th Place - Virgina Tech University Team Enter Sandman, 23 points

Medal Results: