AMHERST, Mass. -- The Mount Holyoke College riding team claimed the high point college title for a second consecutive show on Saturday at Muddy Brook Farm, outscoring a field of six other teams at the UMass-Amherst Show with 43 points.
Junior Emmie Mirarchi (Harvard, Mass.) won Overall High Point Rider honors at the end of the day, while senior Kristen Adolf (Moore, S.C.) was named Limit High Point Rider. Mirarchi and junior Sunita Pearson-Siegel (Brooklyn, N.Y.) both qualified to compete at the regional championships in the spring.
Show host UMass placed a distant second in team scoring with 30 points, followed by Amherst College (29), Worcester State (24), WPI (17), Springfield (17), Smith (16), and Williams (15).
The day started with Open Fences, where senior Georgia Fish (Baltimore, Md.), first-year Olivia Simon (Sacramento, Calif.), and sophomore Helena Weiss (Clifton, N.J.) each had beautiful rounds to finish first, second and fourth, respectively. Next up were two sections of Intermediate Fences. In the first section, first-year Hallie Phillips (Santa Rosa, Calif.) made a gorgeous trip for a second-place finish. Senior captain Caroline Sullivan (Groton, Mass.) delivered a stunning ride in the next section to place fourth.
Limit Fences followed in the ring with four sections. In the first, sophomores Cate Bates (Montclair, N.J.) and Olivia Lindo (Harvard, Mass.) had lovely rides to finish first and fifth, respectively. In the next section, senior Adolf and senior Acadia Ferrero-Lampron (Denver, Colo.) had strong rides to place first and fifth. Next, senior Rachel Banister (San Diego, Calif.) and first-year Charlotte Subak (Brooklyn, N.Y.) delivered beautiful trips, with Banister securing third and Subak placing fifth in her IHSA debut. The final section saw Mirarchi and senior Marlene Healey (Coventry, Conn.) have stunning rounds to place first and fifth, respectively.
Alumni Fences wrapped up the jumping portion of the day. After a short schooling break, the ring moved into the flat section, beginning with two rounds of Introductory Flat. In the first, junior Kerina Li (Guangzhou, China) and sophomore Ririka Kakuta (Tokyo, Japan) rode beautifully with Li placing second and Kakuta sixth in her IHSA debut. Next in the ring, seniors Kelly Li (Kunming, China) and sophomore Azuna Sawada each submitted strong rides, with Li placing first and Sawada unfortunately exiting the ring.
The ring moved on to Open Flat, where Weiss and Simon returned to deliver strong rides, placing first and fifth, respectively. Next were two of the four sections of Limit Flat. In the first, Adolf returned to the ring with junior Hayley Halloran (Lewes, Del.) to deliver gorgeous rides and place second and third in the class. The second section saw Phillips return to deliver a solid ride for a second-place finish in their class.
The next class was Intermediate Flat, where Mirarchi and Fish returned to place first and fifth.
Up next were two sections of Pre-Novice Flat. First, junior Anno Kostava (Tbilisi, Georgia) delivered a stunning ride to place first in her class. Next, sophomore Dekyi Deji (Beijing, China) rode beautifully to secure a blue ribbon. With their blue ribbons, both Kostava and Deji earned enough points to move up to the Novice Flat division.
Limit Flat returned to the ring with the last two sections, with Sullivan delivering a stunning ride to win her class. In the last section of Limit Flat, Subak returned to the ring with sophomore Camille Cheng (Goleta, Calif.) with wonderful rides to secure second and third place.
Wrapping up the day were three sections of Novice Flat. In the first, junior Elliott Candela (Maynard, Mass.) had a strong ride to finish fourth in his class. Then Pearson-Siegel and first-year Emma Cantalupo (Candia, N.H.) put forth strong rides to finish first and third respectively. Finally, sophomore Anna Kuffler (Glenside, Pa.) rode beautifully to earn second place in the last class of the day.
The Lyons continue their regular season with their first home show on Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center.
Final Team Results:
1. Mount Holyoke - 43 points
2. UMass Amherst - 30 points
3. Amherst College - 29 points
4. Worcester State University - 24 points
5. Worcester Polytechnic Institute - 17 points
5. Springfield College - 17 points
6. Smith College - 16 points
7. Williams College - 15 points
-- Reporting by Acadia Ferrero-Lampron '23
