SYRACUSE, N.Y. – It was another solid day of action as day two was completed at the 2019 IHSA National Championships, hosted at the Exposition Center at the New York State Fairgrounds. Mount Holyoke College saw two riders in action on Friday.
The day opened with the first phase of the USEF/Cacchione Cup as senior Emma Recchi (Newfane, Vt./Leland and Grey Union) was one of three riders from Zone 1 to compete. In the Fences, Recchi had a solid ride, but shouldered some tough missteps to earn a score of 34.
Following several classes, including Western action, Recchi came back into the ring for the Cacchione Cup Flat phase. It was an outstanding effort as she rode beautifully, seemingly owning the arena with confidence. The scores from the flat section were not announced and will come out later in the day.
After that, all 24 of the Cacchione riders were applauded for their efforts, receiving special gifts for their hard work in getting to this point.
The Lyons saw their final individual rider take to the arena in Individual Walk-Trot Equitation, junior Honami Tanaka (Fukuoka City, Japan/Chikushi Jogakuen Senior). She drew Marty from the University of Findlay for her ride, earning sixth overall with an outstanding performance.
A recap of action from Thursday's day one saw sophomore Sara Hearn (Tallahassee, Fla./Leon) win the National Championship in Individual Intermediate Over Fences. Classmate Libby Sams (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) earned Honorable Mention in Individual Novice Equitation on the Flat, while junior Sarah Etzel (Northampton, Mass./Northampton) was ninth in Individual Walk-Trot-Canter Equitation.
UPDATE: On Saturday, Lyons assistant coach Tara Mathews competed in a pair of events and came away with two National Championships! She opened the day with a victory in Alumni Equitation on the Flat aboard Skidmore's Paulie, an impressive 18 hands. Following her win, Mathews had to quickly turn around, change and get ready for the next class right after, Alumni Western Horsemanship (pictured below). Victory came her way once again for her second consecutive National Championship.
