NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – It was another high point effort for the Mount Holyoke College riding team as the Lyons were in action at the Smith College IHSA Show on Saturday. MHC posted 40 total points to earn top billing, edging out the host Pioneers, who finished with 39 points.
Senior captain Bridget Finnerty got things going in Open Fences, placing fourth overall in a large class. First year Franny Eremeeva also had a nice round on a tough draw, but finished out of the ribbons.
Senior Cam Carter was next in the ring for the first section of intermediate fences with a third place finish, while classmate Allee Platanitis and junior Taryn Isenburg rode to first and fourth, respectively.
MHC saw three riders wrap up the jumping portion of the day in novice fences. In the first section, first year Harriet Thomson put in a lovely ride for first place. The second section saw senior Sarah Felman put in a nice ride on a tough draw for fifth place, while in the final section, junior Emily Holowczak had a lovely round for first.
The second half of the day began with two sections of novice flat, the first of which saw senior Ellie Demmons ride to third place, while junior Sabrina Fox rode to first place in the second section.
Novice flat was broken up by two sections of open flat. In the first section, Finnerty and Eremeeva returned to the ring with nice rides to finish first and third, respectively. Carter also returned to the ring for the second section with a nice ride for fourth place.
Junior Mika McKinney was next in the ring with a first place finish to resume the novice flat classes. The final section saw first year Indra Rapinchuk-Souccar also finish in first.
Two sections of intermediate flat followed and in the first section Felman returned with a nice ride for a third place finish. In the second section, Holowczak and sophomore Daisy Sears placed second and third, respectively.
First year Charlotte Pletsch was next in the ring with her IHSA debut in beginner walk trot canter, where she had a lovely ride to finish second. Sophomore Karen Dong and junior Alexandra Friedman were next in two different sections of walk trot. They both rode well to finish in second place.
The Lyons wrapped up the regular classes of the day with two sections of advanced walk trot canter. The first section saw sophomore Jordan Green have a nice ride for second place. In the second section, first year Sarah Etzel also had a nice ride for a second place finish.
At the end of the day, Holowczak was called back to the ring for a ride off to break a three way tie for high point rider. She had a lovely ride to secure the overall reserve high point rider title.
The Lyons return to action next weekend, competing at the UMass IHSA Show on Saturday.
The following riders for qualifying for regionals with their rides today:
McKinney - Novice Flat
Felman - Novice Fences
Holowczak - Novice Fences
Team results:
Mount Holyoke College - 40 points
Smith College - 39
Williams College - 32
UMass - 27
Westfield State - 16
Amherst College - 15
Bennington College - 10
Hampshire College - 10
Springfield College - 2
