Kristen Schwieger of Centenary College (left) leads teammate Annabel Benito (right) by ten points in the Zone 2, Region 1 open rider standings.

OPEN RIDERS VIE FOR TRIP TO NATIONALS IN CACCHIONE CUP COMPETITION

In slightly more than two months, the lucky few who qualify for IHSA Nationals will travel to the Nashville suburb of Murfreesboro, Tennessee for the Championships. The open rider in each IHSA Region with the most points (combined flat and fences) earns an automatic trip to Nationals in the Cacchione Cup Competition. Named for Mario "Marty" Cacchione, father of IHSA Founder and Executive Director Bob Cacchione, the Cacchione Cup is awarded to the open rider who wins the competition. Past winners include Beezie Patton, Peter Wylde and Kelly Mullen among others.

The format for the Cacchione class at Nationals has varied over the past few seasons. In 2003, each of the 29 qualified open riders jumped fences on day one, then flated on day two. The flat & fences scores were combined and the riders with the top ten combined scores returned on day three to be tested. When it was over, John Pigott of the University of Vermont was the 2003 Cacchione Cup winner. Pigott's win marked the fourth year in a row that a New England school produced the Cacchione Cup winner (and even more surprisingly that each winner came from a different Zone 1 Region!).

As of February 25th several regions had completed their regular season hunter seat schedules. In each case the leading open rider has secured a spot in the competition. In a few other instances, a rider has mathematically eliminated the rest of the field. By April 4th all 29 entries will have been locked up, though at the moment there are more close races than usual this far into the season, with only one race separated by more than 20 points. The following is a region-by-region analysis of the open rider standings, with riders in BOLDFACE currently leading their respective regions.

ZONE 1, REGION 1: Brown University sophomore Jamie Peddy leads through six shows. Peddy, who won last year and proceded to place ninth at IHSA Nationals in the Cacchione, leads both Natalie Williams of Roger Williams and Vanessa Stevenson of Connecticut College by seven. During the 2002-03 season, Peddy led by 17 over Stevenson through six shows, then watched Stevenson stage a huge rally to tie at the final show. A ride-off at Regionals was won by Peddy. Stevenson, a senior with fantastic "A" circuit credentials, has yet to survive the difficult Zone 1 Zones show and reach IHSA Nationals in any capacity. Four shows remain for Stevenson to perhaps break that streak sooner rather than later.

ZONE 1, REGION 2: He did not get off to a great start this year (one first in four classes over the first two shows), but John Pigott of the University of Vermont leads Dartmouth freshman Tim Malone by four points with three spring shows on the Zone 1, Region 2 schedule. Last spring Pigott made things interesting, falling behind Ellen Lampman of Colby-Sawyer for a week, then rallying to be high point rider in Region 2. Pigott's post season overshadowed all of this, with the biggest prize being the Cacchione Cup championship on May 4th. The junior from Newport, Rhode Island has only one thing left to conquer: Be part of a University of Vermont team that makes it to Nationals. Will it be the cattamounts' year?

ZONE 1, REGION 3: Could a UMass rider reach the Cacchione Cup Competition at Nationals two seasons in a row? Jennifer Lober hopes so. She leads teammate Amy Lowrey by a point following the February 14th show at Mount Holyoke. Lober and Lowrey keep playing hopscotch, as Lowrey led heading into the weekend while Lober had led prior to the final fall show at UMass. Kyla Makhloghi of Mount Holyoke is only two out, while teammate Lauren Morlock is three behind. Last season Jordan Olive of the minutemen became the first non-Mount Holyoke rider to finish as high point open rider in Region 3 since Heather Clark, another UMass graduate, did it in 1997.

ZONE 1, REGION 4: Last season Jessica Long of Boston University won her first eight IHSA classes and went on to place eighth at IHSA Nationals in the Cacchione Cup. Now a sophomore at BU, Long holds an eight point lead over both Katie Estes of Tufts and Kelsey Amedeo of Stonehill, who was one of many who contributed to the chieftains' National Championship (fourth in team open flat). There might be as many as five spring shows in Region 4 so the long journey is far from over.

ZONE 2, REGION 1: Yet another rider looking to repeat is Centenary College senior Kristen Schwieger . "Schwiegie" won a close race with teammate Becky Huestis last season to advance to Murfreesboro. With three shows remaining, Schwieger leads teammate Annabel Benito by 10, while Kristine Kennedy of Drew and Jared Marinos of the United States Military Academy are both within 14 of the top spot.

ZONE 2, REGION 2: She made it to the Cacchione competition as a freshman and a sophomore. Then Missy Starr of Cazenovia College was edged out by Whitney Slausen of Saint Lawrence last season. Now Starr finds herself in the driver' seat again, 13 points up on wildcat teammate Megan Cowan. The senior from Bay Village, Ohio is one of at least 14 riders nationally who have competed in the Cacchione Competition at Nationals and are either leading or are within ten points of the lead in their respective regions.

ZONE 2, REGION 3: Perhaps overshadowed by the great team race in Region 3 is the open rider race between Jaime Jansen of Skidmore and Asta Torokvei of Cornell. Jansen, a senior from Rochester, New York led Torokvei, a sophomore from Toronto, Ontario by six points headed into the February 22nd Skidmore show. Cornell teammate Erica Rosen, from New Paltz, New York, was third in the region and eleven behind Jansen. Considering how important the points have been in this region so far in 2003-04, it almost seems that none of these three can afford anything but blue ribbons from here on in.

ZONE 3, REGION 1: Since we at Campus Equestrian do not know what happened at the February 15th show, it is safe to say that things are likely very different from what is posted on our Zone 3, Region 1 open rider standings. Emily Grayson of Sacred Heart went into that show with a one point lead over teammate Kate Janczak. Destiny Caldwell of C.W. Post was only two out, Elizabeth Jordan of Yale three back, Jessica Matherson of Fairfield six behind, Matherson's teammate Jocelyn Abbate seven back, Destiny Caldwell's identical twin sister Stacey of C.W. Post nine back and both Jillian Brown of Fairfield (who went to Nationals in the Cacchione Cup two seasons ago) and Stacey Munoz of S.U.N.Y. - Stony Brook ten back. The February 15th show at Westbrook Hunt Club was the first of five spring shows for Region 1. The open level is so balanced here that Grayson led the region through four shows with only 32 points combined flat and fences.

ZONE 3, REGION 2: In the strange but true category, Paige Hortman of - get this - Utah Valley State College is leading the region associated with the Philadelphia area! Some might ask if the freshman gets lots of frequent flyer miles!? The answer will surprise you! Hortman started the season riding for Delaware Valley College, located in Doylestown, PA. With a seven point lead through six shows, she transferred over the break to Utah Valley State, which according to Hortman has a satellite campus in Philadelphia (Hortman is seeking to enter the aviation field). Hortman now leads by eight over former teammate Erin Adams. Though the aggies lost Hortman, Delaware Valley's Stock Seat Team did benefit from Whitney Eisentraut transferring mid-season from Bucks County. Eisentraut has already clinched an AQHA appearance at Nationals. If Adams can come back, she would be the first rider from Delaware Valley to compete for the Cacchione Cup since the 1980's.

ZONE 3, REGION 3: Penn State senior Allison Handler and West Virginia University sophomore Mary Markvan were tied atop the Zone 3, Region 3 open rider standings headed into the Wilson College show this past weekend. Handler had a great freshman season, including a trip to IHSA Nationals in Conyers, Georgia and the Cacchione Cup Competition. Handler then had a reasonably good sophomore campaign, but dropped off the radar by spring of 2003. However Handler has been as good as ever through six fall shows. Markvan, whose older sister Mindy rode for Goucher a few seasons ago, continually improved as the fall progressed. At the Wilson show, it was Handler picking up ten of Penn State's 20 points while Markvan had her first off-day of the season. Handler now leads by seven though two shows remain for Markvan to mount a comeback.

ZONE 3, REGION 4: Lehigh finds itself within ten points of the lead through six Region 4 shows. Part of the mountain hawks' success is due to freshman Jill Douglass, who leads the open rider race by seven over Ashley Force of Kutztown. A freshman from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Douglass has 56 points in only five shows, having missed the October 11 Princeton show. Following Force (also a freshman) are Princeton senior Amanda Klopf (with 47 points) and Bucknell senior Kim Lorenz (with 46). Four shows, all at Briarwood Farm, should make one of these four the Cacchione representative.

ZONE 4, REGION 1: Headed into the February 22nd Sweet Briar show it was sophomore Lydia Davies of Goucher College holding a five point lead over Jesica Mangun of Mary Washington College. Davies's teammate Maisy Grassie was nine out, while two others were 11 back. If Davies stays ahead, she may be the first Goucher rider in team history to compete for the Cacchione Cup at IHSA Nationals.

ZONE 4, REGION 2: Caitlin Lane of Washington and Lee University held a six point lead over defending Region 2 Cacchione participant Cary Chenoweth of Bridgewater College headed into the February 13th show. All three Region 2 spring shows took place between the 13th and 22nd, but we at Campus Equestrian are still waiting for the final point totals to see who advanced to Nationals. If Lane held the lead, she will be the first Washington & Lee rider to participate at IHSA Nationals in the Cacchione Cup.

ZONE 4, REGION 3: Virginia Intermont College sophomore Erika Jewell has a narrow lead headed into the first of three spring shows this weekend. Jewell, until recently from Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania is two points ahead of North Carolina State freshman Lauren Hill. Virginia Tech's Ashley Duda (eight back) and St. Andrews' Angela MacFawn (eleven out) are the only other riders in the region within two firsts. If Jewell holds onto the lead, she will return to Nationals in the Cacchione a second consecutive season.

ZONE 5, REGION 1: Though Middle Tennessee State is known mostly for their success at IHSA Nationals with stock seat riders, the blue raiders currently boast the first and second place hunter seat open riders in Region 1. Dionne Stigge picked up 41 points in the fall, four more than teammate Jaclyn Cradduck. Katherine Wilkinson of the University of the South has 32, with six other riders still in the loop with between 27 and 30 points. Four shows remain.

ZONE 5, REGION 2: Tara Brothers of the University of South Carolina is looking to go to IHSA Nationals for the first time. Amy Humble of Berry College, who trails Brothers by four points with two shows to go, has ridden at each of the past two Nationals in one capacity or another, but not in the Cacchione Cup. If Brothers hangs on, a South Carolina rider will be competing in the Cacchione competition for the fifth time in six years (Amy Bell in '99, Jennifer Wood the following two seasons and Sarah-Ki Tomasi in '02 were the others).

ZONE 5, REGION 3: With three shows remaining, Jordan Siegel, a sophomore from Flower Mound, TX from Savannah College of Art & Design is leading the Region 3 race with three shows to go. We at Campus Equestrian have experienced difficulties trying to find out information on this region during the 2003-04 season, so for now all we can say is that Siegel is leading. Siegel placed third in the Cacchione at Nationals last season, and can even claim to be the only rider to beat John Pigott in a class during the 2003 show, winning the individual open flat.

ZONE 6, REGION 1: Jessica West, who is one of a few riders remaining from the Ohio University hunter seat team that won 2002 IHSA Nationals, held a 15 point lead over Bethann Beckhorn of Lake Erie College headed into the final Zone 6, Region 1 hunter seat shows over the past weekend. West was a catalyst for the bobcats in 2002, placing third in team intermediate fences in the opening class at 2002 Nationals (West was also fifth in individual novice fences at the same show).

ZONE 6, REGION 2: With one show to go, the race is assured of sending a Miami of Ohio rider to the Cacchione Cup. But will it be Megan Palmer, the sophomore from Lake Bluff, Illinois who was spectacular all of last season, ultimatly placing second at IHSA Nationals to Pigott in the Cacchione, or will it be freshman Jennifer Hutson, from Toledo, Ohio, who trails by only three points? Red Hawk head coach Jim Arrigon informed us that Hutson has more points on the flat than Palmer. In either event, Arrigon will have a very impressive rider in the Cacchione (If the team gets through Zone 6 Zones, will Palmer jump and Hutson flat in the team competition?).

ZONE 6, REGION 3: Though the University of Findlay seems a safe bet for a fifth consecutive Region 3 Team Championship, not one of the current top seven riders in the Region 3 open rider standings rides for the oilers. Lindy Sibel of Western Michigan leads Betsy Teetor of Hillsdale College by a point with one show to go. There is a great deal of balance within Region 3 this season, as Sibel leads with 51 points. Not far off are Mandy Patterson of Otterbein with 48, Kat Heggan of Michigan with 43, Teetor's teammate Meghan Kaminski with 41 and Samantha Snyder of Michigan State with 39. Unless an additional show is added, the March 13th Western Michigan show will be do or die for many.

ZONE 7, REGION 1: Alex Ansteth of Colorado State holds the largest lead in the country that we know about (with apologies to those in Zone 8, Region 4 and Zone 9, Region 3 if you know better). The sophomore who rallied to win the right to compete in the 2003 Cacchione competition leads teammate Tiffany Perelman by 25 points headed into the final regular season Region 1 hunter seat shows February 28th and 29th. If Ansteth can add four points to her total she will be going back to Murfreesboro regardless of any other outcomes.

ZONE 7, REGION 2: She was seventh in the Cacchione Cup in 2002, sixth last season. Now Texas A & M senior Meredith Houx will try to climb six places this May. Houx is already assured a place in the competition, as the hunter seat schedule in Region 2 is complete. Houx had an incredible season, placing first in each of her first five open flat classes during 2003-04. Houx won four of her first five open fences classes as a bonus. Janet Aertker of Louisiana State deserves credit for making this a race, as some sub-par Houx rides over the final weekend at West Texas A & M elevated Aertker to second, only seven points behind the leader.

ZONE 8, REGION 1: Though we do not yet have results from the February 21st Fresno State show, it would seem as though Laura Blau of the University of California at Davis had locked up a trip to IHSA Nationals in the Cacchione Cup anyway. Blau led teammate Katie Stien by 16 points at that point. Jordan McKinney of Stanford was two behind Stien. Unless there is something we don't know, Blau, Houx and perhaps three others are the only riders mentioned in this article who can book flights to Nashville with a clear conscience.

ZONE 8, REGION 2: Two shows remain, four have taken place for which we are still awaiting the results, while a few others from the fall are in our database. University of San Diego senior Kate De Kraay has reached IHSA Nationals in the Cacchione Cup Competition each of her first three seasons. However through the fall De Kraay was tied at 24 points apiece with Kate McComas of the University of California at San Diego, while Michelle Brownstein of UCLA was only three back. McComas's teammate Linda Torres was five out, while several others were in the low teens but with six shows ahead of them still very much alive. If the Team and Cacchione races are still as good as they were through November 23rd, then shows at the L.A. Equestrian Center (site of 1996 Nationals) in early March will be among the most exciting of the season nationwide.

ZONE 8, REGION 3: Jenny Sharon of the University of Montana at Missoula holds a six point lead over Meghan Sederhom of College of Southern Idaho with two shows to go. Sharon leads due to her performance in open flat, winning six of eight classes (Sederhom won the other two). The open field in Region 3 is sparse, with no more than five entries in any open section so far this season. As a result, Sharon has 80 points, Sederhom 74 and no one else more than 32.

ZONE 8, REGION 4: Zone 8, Region 4, along with Zone 9, Region 3 are the only regions where we are completely in the dark as to what is happenning. If you compete in this region, or know someone in this region who does please let them know we are trying to obtain the open rider point totals so we can tell all the people about what is going on in the Pacific Northwest.

ZONE 9, REGION 1: By the time you read this, someone in Region 1 will have clinched a trip to Nationals in the Cacchione Cup. Headed into the final shows hosted by Taylor University over the February 14th/15th weekend, Christina Walsh of Purdue held a five point lead over Bradley Wolkoff of IUPUI. If Walsh held on she became the sixth different Purdue rider in six years to reach the Cacchione Cup Competition. If Wolkoff advanced, she became the first IUPUI rider to ever make it to IHSA Nationals in the Cacchione. As soon as we know, we will pass the verdict along!

ZONE 9, REGION 2: Another region where we are behind the times is Zone 9, Region 2. Through the fall Kira Dubas of Northwestern was leading Dehlia Burden of Kansas State by a 22-18 margin. Four shows have taken place since, with another still to come. Defending Region 2 Cacchione entry Allison Woodworth was only out by five at that time, while four others were in double figures. Could be anybody with the lead by now.

ZONE 9, REGION 3: Like Zone 8, Region 4, we know very little if anything about what is going on in the upper midwest. Lauren Flexon of Carleton College was leading by ten points through the first four fall shows. When we know more about Region 3 (as well as anywhere else) we will pass the information along.

---Steve Maxwell