SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - The Mount Holyoke Equestrian team hosted their first show of the season today, securing the overall high point college title out of nine teams.
The day began with open fences, which saw beautiful trips from all four MHC riders. In the first section, senior Maddy Skrak and first year Kari Fossum rode to fourth and fifth, respectively. The second section saw senior Mollie Kowalchik post the first blue ribbon of the day while sophomore Franny Evermeeva posted third with a lovely ride.
Intermediate fences was next in the ring with two sections. The first section saw nice riding from senior Haley Lamoureux for a sixth place finish. In the second section, first year Sara Hearn and senior Anna Rzchowski also put in lovely rides for first and second, respectively.
Novice riders were the last in the ring to jump. Sophomore Harriet Thomson and junior Jordan Green opened the division with two lovely rides to post third and fifth, respectively, in the first section. In the second section, seniors Kaziah Brachfeld and Avery Hanlon put in nice rounds to secure first and fifth, respectively. The final section saw lovely rides from first year Libby Sams and senior Lily DeBenedictis to finish one-two.
The Lyons began the flat portion of the day with two sections of advanced walk-trot-canter. The first section saw strong riding from first year Grace Herrmann for a fifth place finish. In the second section, first year Lou Jefwa and senior Cat Lamond put in lovely rides to finish one-two.
Open flat entered the ring next in two sections. The first section saw a slew of strong rides, two of which came from Fossum and Skrak, who finished first and second, respectively. In the second section, Eremeeva and Kowalchik also put in lovely rides for first and third, respectively.
Two sections of novice flat were next in the ring, the first of which saw a strong ride from Green for second place. In the second section, Brachfeld and Hanlon put in lovely rides to finish in second and third, respectively.
Intermediate flat broke up the large novice flat division with two sections. Rzchowski and senior Taryn Isenburg were first in the ring to ride well, securing first and third, respectively. The second section saw additional lovely rides from junior Emma Recchi and senior Emily Holowczak to post one- two yet again.
The final two sections of novice flat entered the ring next, the first of which saw lovely rides from Lamoureux and DeBenedictis for first and fourth place finishes, respectively. The final section saw stellar rides from Sams and senior Sabrina Fox for first and second place finishes.
Mount Hoyloke saw a large walk-trot division head into the ring next. In the first section, junior Jessica Feng and sophomore Doris Wang rode well to finish first and sixth, respectively. The second section saw a lovely ride from sophomore Honami Tanaka for the blue.
MHC wrapped up the day with two sections of beginner walk-trot-canter. The first section saw an excellent ride from first year Louisa Zebrowski in her IHSA debut for a blue ribbon. The final class of the day saw additional strong riding from first years Sabrina Talir and Carol Law also in their IHSA debuts. The two posted first and sixth, respectively.
With her two blue ribbon rides, Sams was named overall high point rider and novice high point rider. Additionally, Rzchowski secured the Intermediate high point rider award while Brachfeld secured the Reserve high point novice rider title.
Special congratulations to the following riders, who qualified for regionals in their respective divisions:
- Cat Lamond: Walk-Trot-Canter
- Sabrina Fox - Novice Flat
- Lily DeBenedictis - Novice Fences
- Emily Holowczak - Intermediate Flat
College Results-
1.) Mount Holyoke College- 38
2.) UMass Amerst - 30
3.) Hampshire College - 23
3.) Westfield State University - 23
5.) Smith College - 19
6.) Williams College - 15
7.) Bennington College - 12
8.) Springfield College - 10
9.) Amherst College - 9
The Lyons return to action next Saturday, traveling to Stoneleigh-Burnham in Greenfield to compete in the Smith College Show.
Release courtesy of MHC rider and team manager, Taryn Isenburg '18. Photos courtesy of MHC Equestrian Team.
