Head Coach Crystal Taylor (on far left) holds the championship trophy while IDA President Beth Bukema (far right) holds a saddle after Johnson & Wales University scored 41 points to win 2012 IDA Nationals hosted by Centenary College in Long Valley, New Jersey.

JOHNSON & WALES PREVAILS BY THREE OVER FINDLAY AT '12 IDA NATIONALS

Long Valley, NJ - Prior to 2012 IDA Nationals four different schools could claim to have won IDA Nationals, with all but one of the schools having won National Championship more than once. However as the team classes were completed one-by-one on April 28th it became apparent that one of three schools was going to win their first-ever title.

The University of Findlay started strong out of the box. Dylan Handy, a junior from Rutland, Massachusetts won team first level test 2 with a combined judge's score of 268/72.432. Johnson & Wales University senior Chloe Cosgrove was second while Centenary College freshman Katie Ehlers was third. The schools with the top three riders in the first class of the day would be the top three at the end of the day as well.

The training level test 3 division saw riders from the same three schools place no lower than fourth. University of Findlay junior Katherine Byrd was fourth, Centenary junior Hannah Wild was third and Johnson & Wales senior Annie Applebaum was reserve champion. Defending national champion Lake Erie College suddenly looked like they were very much alive to repeat, as senior Megan Marcinkewicz won the division for the Storm. From Waterford, Connecticut Marcinkewicz received a combined score of 181/72.400 to give Lake Erie 18 points through half the team classes. The Storm was looking up at Centenary with 20 and Johnson & Wales and Findlay tied for the lead with 22 each. At least one rider noted that the judge's scores were incredibly close. In training level test 3 sixth place rider Averi Fredericksen of Virginia Intermont College had a combined score of 175.75/70.30, not all that far removed from Marcinkewicz.

Training level test 1 was the third class to feature Centenary, Johnson & Wales and Findlay in the top four. Bethany Lawler, a freshman from East Greenwich, Rhode Island won the division for Centenary (with a combined score of 167.50/69.792) to put the host Cyclones ahead for the first time that today. Virginia Intermont College senior Erin Roberts was second to lift VI to 25 points which kept the school from Bristol, Virginia mathematically alive. Tierney Hassell of Johnson & Wales was third while Carly Trimble of Findlay was fourth. With one team class remaining Centenary led Johnson & Wales 33-32 while Findlay was at 31. VI led Lake Erie 25-24 for fourth place.

Introductary level test B was the final team class. While the results of each of the first three team classes were made available by posting them on a wall near registration the results of test B were deliberatly kept under wraps until it was time for the parade of teams and presentation of awards. With the results announced in reverse order Centenary heard their name called for tenth place, Findlay for sixth and Johnson & Wales for fourth. Jessica Mitchell of Johnson & Wales was the fourth member of the Wildcats to place inside the top four. Third place went to Virginia Intermont senior Andrea Bullen while reserve champion was awarded to Jenna Marten of St. Andrews University. Winning the class was Carey Lang, a Mount Holyoke College sophomore from Amherst, Massachusetts (all four team class winners were residents of New England States). Lang was also High Point Rider for the day as her combined score was 117.25/73.281 (Marten was reserve high point rider, as she had the second best score). With Lang's win Mount Holyoke took over fifth place with 32 points. VI finished with 35, Centenary 36, Findlay 38 and Johnson & Wales 41 to claim their first-ever IDA National Championship. After eleven seasons of holding a genuine Nationals show Mount Holyoke College has won four championships, Virginia Intermont College three, Lake Erie College two and both the University of New Hampshire and Johnson & Wales University one each. Coincidentally both of the schools with one championship are nicknamed 'the Wildcats.'

Beth Bukema, the President of the IDA and Department Chair at the Center for Equine Studies at Johnson & Wales University, had the honor of presenting the trophy named for her (the Bukema Trophy) to J & W Coach Crystal Taylor following the parade of teams. Though the initial IDA teams (which at the time included several high school teams) were based in the southeast it was the inclusion of Johnson & Wales which helped spread the organization into multiple geographic areas.

There was as much competition on the second day of IDA Nationals as there had been on the first, with 48 rides spread out over four divisions. The same four divisions were held in the same order, with several riders which had participated in team classes returning to try and win individual awards. One of the humorous moments of day two came when Amy Gregonis from the Centenary coaching staff announced the results of the high point rider award. Ehlers, who had placed third in first level test 3 a day earlier, and who had just competed in the same class on Sunday, misheard Gregonis announce the reserve high point rider's name. While Gregonis stated that Marten of St. Andrews had won, Ehlers walked right up to her and attempted to grab the ribbon! It should be noted that the awards for this division were presented in the registration office so many may not have seen it. However Ehlers had the last laugh as Gregonis announced the results of individual first level test 3. Ehlers was in fact the champion, meaning that the Cyclone freshman had a blue ribbon and a yellow ribbon over the course of two days (but no red one!). Albion College senior Lauren Levy was reserve champion in her final IDA ride while Mary Evert of Otterbein University (another senior) was third, a marked improvement over tenth place in the team class a day earlier.

Virginia Intermont College had the same riders in each team and individual class save for training level test 3 (VI was the only team with at least one rider entered in all eight classes). Senior Erin Hoyt rode only on the second day, winning the individual training level test 3. The runner-up in the division, Wake Forest University sophomore Stephanie Bandyk, was from the same region (Region H) as Hoyt. Byrd finished one place higher than on Saturday, earning a third on behalf of the Oilers' program.

Individual training level test 1 was won by junior Anna Beckman of Otterbein University (though the program called the school 'Otterbein College' they have been a University since mid-2011). Alyssa Milano of the University of New Hampshire was second while Victoria Day of Mount Holyoke was third. Beckman received the Trip Harting Memorial Trophy which is awarded to the top individual first level champion starting in April of 2009.

The results of individual introductory level test B provided three schools with their best ribbons of the weekend. Christine DeVita-Zwack, a Cazenovia College junior was third. Though the Wildcats (yes Cazenovia shares their nickname with Johnson & Wales and UNH) had riders in seven of the eight classes only twice did a rider make the top nine (DeVita-Zwack was ninth in team introductory level test B for their previous best). The riders who placed in the top two were very emotional (and in at least one case the coach was equally emotional). Julia Knight of the University of Florida did not cry too much when she learned she had placed as high as second, but Gators coach Bridgette Boland could not hold back the tears. Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo junior Bree Greer won the division and cried tears of joy more than anyone. After she finally seemed to have her crying under control Greer and her Mustang teammates found out she gets to take the Mary Beth Mclean Perpetual Trophy back to California for a year and floodgates opened again! This also sent half the team looking for a box in which to ship the trophy west rather than take such an ornate item on an airplane. A transfer from Alan Hancock College in Lompoc, California, Greer is the seventh rider to receive this award.

--Steve Maxwell

(Campus Equestrian will expand this story even further by May 12th, including additional photos).

From left to right are freshman Katie Ehlers, 2010 graduate Emily Hawley and junior Hannah Wild of Centenary College. At the time the photo was taken both Ehlers and Wild had placed third in back-to-back team classes for the host Cyclones. A day later Wild would finish seventh in individual training level test 3 while Ehlers would win first level test 3. Centenary finished third overall with 36 points.

Show Incidentals: Sunny skies, with temperatures reaching the upper '50's both days. Judges: Debbie Savage, Flemington, NJ and Pamela Wooding, Hope, NJ. Technical Delegate: Camille Kopcik, Johnson City, NY. The Team Classes took place on Saturday, April 28th and the Individual Classes took place on Sunday, April 29th.

Team First Level Test 2: 1. Dylan Handy, University of Findlay. 2. Chloe Cosgrove, Johnson & Wales University. 3. Katie Ehlers, Centenary College. 4. Malia Kissner, Mount Holyoke College. 5. Erin Bentley, University of Florida. 6. Sierra Mills, Virginia Intermont College. 7. Lindsey Agaliotis, St. Andrews University. 8. Anya Hurley, Lake Erie College. 9. Jennifer Kerr, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo. 10. Mary Everett, Otterbein University. 11. Amy Hacker, University of Connecticut. 12. Kate Davies, Cazenovia College.

Team Training Level Test 3: 1. Meghan Marcinkewicz, Lake Erie College. 2. Annie Applebaum, Johnson & Wales University. 3. Hannah Wild, Centenary College. 4. Katherine Byrd, University of Findlay. 5. Colleen Grant, Otterbein College. 6. Averi Frederickson, Virginia Intermont College. 7. Ariel Smith, University of Florida. 8. Kayla Kauffman, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo. 9. Claire Price, University of Connecticut. 10. Cowan Schuyler, Mount Holyoke College. 11. Madeleine Slack, Cazenovia College. 12. Lauren Parker, St. Andrews University.

Team Training Level Test 1: 1. Bethany Lawler, Centenary College. 2. Erin Roberts, Virginia Intermont College. 3. Tierney Hassell, Johnson & Wales University. 4. Carly Trimble, University of Findlay. 5. Lauren Eberle, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo. 6. Victoria Day, Mount Holyoke College. 7. Rebecca Dudenhoeffer, Lake Erie College. 8. Teagan Geata, University of Connecticut. 9. Anna Beckman, Otterbein University. 10. Paige Tillison, St. Andrews University. 11. Sara Edmundson, University of Florida. 12. Claire Hayes, Cazenovia College.

Team Introductary Level Test B: 1. Carey Lang, Mount Holyoke College. 2. Jenna Marten, St. Andrews University. 3. Andrea Bullen, Virginia Intermont College. 4. Jessica Mitchell, Johnson & Wales University. 5. Emma Price, University of Connecticut. 6. Jessica Heaston, University of Findlay. 7. Marie Paquette, Otterbein College. 8. Julia Knight, University of Florida. 9. Christine DeVita - Zwack, Cazenovia College. 10. Jacquelin Singelais, Centenary College. 11. Bree Greer, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo. 12. Courtney Griffiths, Lake Erie College.

Let's get the Virginia Intermont College seniors in a picture together before they graduate! From left to right are Averi Fredericksen, Erin Roberts and Andrea Bullen of VI seen shortly before the parade of teams. Bullen earned VI's best team ribbon with a third in team introductary level test B to help VI overtake several others for fourth place with 35 points.

Individual First Level Test 2: 1. Katie Ehlers, Centenary College. 2. Lauren Levy, Albion College. 3. Mary Evert, Otterbein University. 4. Sierra Mills, Virginia Intermont College. 5. Malia Kissner, Mount Holyoke College. 6. Chloe Cosgrove, Johnson & Wales University. 7. Kate Erickson, Stanford University. 8. Dylan Handy, University of Findlay. 9. Cody Armstrong, Virginia Tech. 10. Jenna Detandt, College of Central Florida. 11. Cecily Bradley, Cazenovia College. 12. Lindsey Agaliotis, St. Andrews University.

Individual Training Level Test 3: 1. Erin Hoyt, Virginia Intermont College. 2. Stephanie Bandyk, Wake Forest University. 3. Katherine Byrd, University of Findlay. 4. Jocelyn Kraenzle, University of New Hamshire. 5. Colleen Grant, Otterbein College. 6. Claire Price, University of Connecticut. 7. Hannah Wild, Centenary College. 8. Rachel Knopf, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo. 9. Khrystynna Hunsinger, Averett University. 10. Madeline Slack, Cazenovia College. 11. Lisa Bailey, Florida State University. 12. Paige Gustafson, Albion College.

Individual Training Level Test 1: 1. Anna Beckman, Otterbein University. 2. Alyssa Milano, University of New Hampshire. 3. Victoria Day, Mount Holyoke College. 4. Erin Roberts, Virginia Intermont College. 5. Alyssa Olson, Albion College. 6. Carly Jeanne Hartdorn, Delaware Valley College. 7. Erin Palmer, Michigan State University. 8. Allison Loe, College of Central Florida. 9. Kelsey Mock, University of California at Davis. 10. Teagan Gaeta, University of Connecticut. 11. Kendra Clarke, Delaware Valley College. 12. Jessie Hayes, Averett University.

Individual Introductary Level Test B: 1. Bree Greer, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo. 2. Julia Knight, University of Florida. 3. Christine DeVita-Zwack, Cazenovia College. 4. Andrea Bullen, Virginia Intermont College. 5. Carey Lang, Mount Holyoke College. 6. Lindsey Baker, Averett University. 7. Emma Price, University of Connecticut. 8. Jessica Heaston, University of Findlay. 9. Courtney Griffiths, Lake Erie College. 10. Grace Pratico, Johnson & Wales University. 11. Katie Sedlmeyer, Appalachian State University. 12. Jacqueline Singelais, Centenary College.

Team Totals: Johnson & Wales University (2012 IDA National Champion) 41; University of Findlay (Reserve Champion) 38; Centenary College 36; Virginia Intermont College 35; Mount Holyoke College 32; Lake Erie College 25; St. Andrews University 21; University of Florida 21; Otterbein University 21; Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo 19; University of Connecticut 19 and Cazenovia College 8.