At right: Riders advancing on for indivdual spots at the Zone I Championships are (from left to right) Olivia Simon, Johanna Sullivan, Emmie Mirarchi, Chloe McElveen, Kerina Li, and Sunita Pearson-Siegel.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Thirteen individuals from the Mount Holyoke Equestrian team competed in the IHSA Zone I Region 3 Championship on Sunday at Bonnie Lea Farm, a day which concluded with the Lyons receiving the High Point College award for the season.
The show started off with Open Over Fences. First-year Olivia Simon (Sacramento, Calif.) had a lovely round to place second in their class.
After Intermediate over Fences, in which Mount Holyoke had no qualifying riders, a large class of Limit Over Fences saw stunning rides from junior Emmie Mirarchi (Harvard, Mass.), senior Johanna Sullivan (Worcester, Mass.), senior Kristen Adolf (Moore, S.C.), and senior Acadia Ferrero-Lampron (Denver, Colo.). Adolf and Sullivan were called back for additional testing of the same course on the other's original draw. In the end, Mirarchi was pinned first, Sullivan second, Adolf third, and Ferrero-Lampron fifth in a very competitive class.
The flat section of the day started with Introductory Flat, which saw gorgeous rides from junior Kerina Li (Guangzhou, China), junior Blair Yuk (Northvale, N.J.), and senior Azuna Sawada (Tokyo, Japan). Li finished first, Yuk third, and Sawada fifth in another strong class.
Two splits of Novice Flat entered the ring next, with the results announced after both sections ended. In the first split, junior Sunita Pearson-Siegel (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had a stellar ride. The second split saw an additional strong ride from junior Chloe McElveen (Ridgeland, S.C.). Both Pearson-Siegel and McElveen were called back for additional testing and afterward, Pearson-Siegel finished first in the class with McElveen securing second.
Next were two splits of Limit Flat, the first of which saw Mirarchi return with senior captain Caroline Sullivan (Groton, Mass.), both with beautiful rides. In the second section, Adolf returned with junior Hayley Halloran (Lewes, Del.), each delivering lovely rides. After the second section, Mirarchi and Sullivan were called back to the ring for additional testing. After seeing all of the riders, Mirarchi secured the blue ribbon, with Sullivan finishing third, and Halloran sixth.
Wrapping up the day for MHC was senior Georgia Fish (Baltimore, Md.) in a single section of Intermediate Flat. After a beautiful ride, Fish was placed third in her class.
At the end of the day, high point colleges and riders were presented. Mount Holyoke team secured the overall High Point College title for the season with 316 points. The Lyons were followed by UMass-Amherst with 284 points and Amherst College with 190 points. Additionally, Olivia Simon received Reserve High Point Flat Rider honors for the region.
Special congratulations to the following riders who have secured a spot to compete at Zones on April 7th and 8th:
Kerina Li - Introductory
Sunita Pearson-Siegel - Novice
Chloe McElveen - Novice
Emmie Mirarchi - Limit Flat and Fences
Johanna Sullivan - Limit Fences
Olivia Simon - Open Fences
In addition to these riders, Mount Holyoke will have eight team riders competing in the collegiate classes. The Zone 1 Championships will be held on both Friday, April 7th, and Saturday, April 8th at the Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center.
-- Reporting by Acadia Ferrero-Lampron '23
