Recap Courtesy of Sierra Dunn '22

Amherst, Mass. - March 20, 2022 - The Mount Holyoke College hunt seat team earned another victory in a show at the UMass Amherst Show hosted at Muddy Brook Farm in Amherst, Mass. The team finished the day with 39 points, winning the High Point College Title. 

The day opened with flat classes, before moving on to jumping in the afternoon. First in the ring were three sections of the Novice division. In the first section, senior Yixuan He (Nanjing, China) and first-year True Usiatynski (Fayetteville, N.Y.) had strong rides. He won the class and Usiatynski took fourth in her first show with the team. Next up, juniors Marlene Healey (Coventry, Conn.) and Rachel Banister (San Diego, Calif.) had solid rides, earning third and fourth place ribbons for Mount Holyoke, respectively. In the final section of Novice, sophomores Chloe McElveen (Ridgeland, S.C.) and Elliott Candela (Maynard, Mass.) had beautiful rides, with McElveen finishing in third and Candela in fifth.

Following in the ring were two sections of the Introductory division. In the first section, sophomore Astrid Zhao (Beijing, China), junior Janice Bi, and senior Heidy Duan swept the competition with a one-two-three finish. This marked Bi's IHSA debut. In the second section, junior Kelli Li and sophomore Amanda Xu (Shenzhen, China) had great rides to finish in second and third, respectively. This was Xu's first show with the team. 

Next in the ring, junior Xike Zhao earned the blue ribbon in the Pre-Novice division, in which she showed at the canter for the first time.

The ring then moved on to three sections of Limit Flat. In the first section, junior Caroline Sullivan (Groton, Mass.) and first-year Camille Cheng (Goleta, Calif.) had beautiful rides to finish in third and fourth, respectively. Next in the ring, first-year Lila McDougall (Shirley, Mass.) and sophomore Brenna Donovan (Andover, Mass.) had great rides, placing second and third, respectively. The final section saw stunning rides from juniors Kristen Adolf (Moore, S.C.) and Acadia Ferrero-Lampron (Denver, Colo.). Adolf won the class, while Ferrero-Lampron finished just shy of the rankings.

Alumni Flat was next in the ring, with Maya Brody '20 competing for Mount Holyoke. Brody finished in third place with a lovely ride. Next in the ring was Intermediate Flat, where senior Kristina Honour (Lake Forest, Ill.), senior and manager Sierra Dunn (Florence, Mass.), and junior Johanna Sullivan (Worcester, Mass.) had beautiful rides to finish in first, second, and sixth, respectively. The final flat class of the day was Open Flat, in which senior captain Sara Hearn (Tallahassee, Fla.) had a strong ride to win the class.

After a short schooling break, the over fences part of the show began. Brody was first to return to the ring, again riding for Mount Holyoke in Alumni Fences. She had a beautiful trip over fences to place second.

Next up were three sections of Limit Fences. The first section saw Adolf return to the ring along with junior Hayley Halloran (Lewes, Del.), where they both had lovely rides for second and third, respectively. In the second section, McDougall, Donovan, and Ferrero-Lampron returned to the ring with gorgeous rides over fences to finish third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. The final section of the division saw Caroline Sullivan and Johanna Sullivan return to the ring with strong rides to finish in second and sixth, respectively. 

Intermediate Over Fences was next in the ring. Cheng and Honour returned with beautiful rides, with Cheng winning the class and Honour finishing just out of the ribbons. The final class of the day was Open Fences, where Hearn and Lester returned with stunning trips over fences, finishing in second and fourth, respectively.

At the end of the day, Hearn and Adolf were called back to the ring for a tie-breaker for the overall High Point Rider of the day. After a series of testing, Hearn earned the Overall High Point Rider title, and Adolf took the Reserve Overall High Point Rider title.

Additionally, Adolf was announced High Point Limit Rider, while Cheng earned the Reserve High Point Intermediate Rider title of the day. 

Final Team Results:

1. Mount Holyoke College - 39 points

2. UMass Amherst - 33 points

3. Smith College - 22 points

4. Worcester State University - 19 points

5. Amherst College - 12 points

6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute - 11 points

7. Springfield College - 10 points

8. Westfield State University - 1 point

Congratulations to the following riders for qualifying for regionals today:

• Yixuan He: Novice

• Caroline Sullivan: Limit Fences

The Mount Holyoke hunt seat team will return to action on Saturday, March 26 at the Worcester State Show hosted at the Holiday Acres Equestrian Center in Rutland, Mass. 

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