Equestrian team debuts impressively at Pre-Season Tournament of Champions

From left to right: Head coach CJ Law, Hallie Phillips, Megan Bliamptis, Kate Smith, Alyssa Martinsen, Cate Bates, Emi Graf, at the Pre-Season Tournament of Champions at Otterbein University.

WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- The Mount Holyoke College equestrian team enjoyed an auspicious debut to the 2024-25 season of competition, placing third among 16 teams at the Pre-Season Tournament of Champions Saturday at Otterbein University.

Tournaments such as Pre-Season Tournament of Champions bring together the top riding teams from around the country, allowing teams that might only compete against each other at IHSA Nationals a chance to see how they stack up.

Starting the Lyons off Saturday morning was junior Hallie Phillips (Santa Rosa, Calif.), who placed third in Open Fences. Senior Cate Bates (Montclair, N.J.) followed in Intermediate Fences, finishing in first place. Bates went back into the ring in her Open Flat debut, and took home another blue ribbon. Phillips then rode for the flat portion of the High Medal class, and secured a call back for the fences phase. Phillips returned to the ring for Intermediate Flat and earned second place. Immediately following the pinning, Phillips reentered the ring for the fences portion of the High Medal with results to be announced at the end of the day.

A schooling break for Limit, Novice, and Intro horses was held, and first-year Emi Graf (Belmont, Mass.) made her Intercollegiate competition debut with a third-place showing in Limit Fences. Graf returned to the ring for the flat phase of the Low Medal, and earned herself a callback for the fences phase.

Next, junior Megan Bliamptis (Lexington, Mass.) made her Tournament debut, competing in Intro Flat for a fourth-place finish. Following her was first-year Alyssa Martinsen (Arlington Heights, Ill.), in her Intercollegiate competition debut. Martinsen rode in Limit Flat and earned a third-place ribbon.

Junior Kate Smith (Wells, Vt.) rode in the final team class of the day, Novice flat. Smith won second place, securing five points for Mount Holyoke, enough to secure third place for the team!

At the conclusion of team classes, Graf returned to the ring for the jumping portion of the Low Medal. Finally, the Medal results were announced for both riders' first time competing in their respective medal classes. Impressively, Phillips finished eighth out of 16 in the High Medal, and Graf finished thirdrd out of 16 in the Low Medal.

As a team, Mount Holyoke led the pack in first or second place for a good portion of the day. The 2024 national champions, Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), eked past the Lyons at the end of the day by one point.

Mount Holyoke's first regular-season show will be the Williams College Show on Oct. 5, at Bonnie Lea Farm in Williamstown, Mass.

Team Standings
Champion: Otterbein University - 42 points
Reserve Champion: Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) - 40 points
3rd: Mount Holyoke College - 39 points
4th: Skidmore College - 37 points
5th: Goucher College - 30 points
6th: University of Lynchburg, Red Team - 25 points
7th: Albion College - 20 points
8th: Penn State University, Blue Team - 18 points
9th: University of Lynchburg, Black Team - 18 points
10th: Ohio State University - 18 points
11th: Penn State University, White Team - 18 points
12th: University of Massachusetts- 14 points
13th: Miami University, Team Honor - 12 points
14th: West Texas A&M - 11 points
15th: Miami University, Team Love - 9 points
16th: Alfred University - 6 points