West Texas A & M senior Whitney Fouts is not only qualified to compete for the 2008 Cacchione Cup she is even an individual Nationals qualifier in open western horsemanship!

2008 CACCHIONE CUP FIELD OF 31 RIDERS NOW SET

The final three Cacchione entries were determined last weekend, completing the largest Cacchione class in IHSA Nationals history. James Fairclough, a Drew University junior from Newton, New Jersey won twice on March 29th to assure himself the Zone 2, Region 1 championship. Rebecca Reiner, a Tufts University junior from Hamel, Minnesota won her open flat while placing second in open fences to assure herself the Zone 1, Region 4 championship. And Penn State's Samantha Pandolfi won both of her open classes but in the end she didn't even need one point. Defending Zone 3, Region 1 Cacchione competitor Andrew Olen sat out the final show. Olen was 14 points behind but sat out intentionally to avoid qualifying individually in open flat or fences, as a conflict with finals would have made it impossible for him to show at Nationals. The Franklin & Marshall senior decided to let others get whatever points they could on March 30th and not continue his season when it would not be able to reach its' logical conclusion.

Pandolfi, a junior from Danbury, Connecticut became one of two Cacchione riders this season who have already competed for the big prize at Nationals but not at the 2007 championships in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Pandolfi rode at Harrisburg in the 2006 Cacchione Competition. Dartmouth senior Daisy Freund is the other non-consecutive Cacchione qualifier, having competed at Eden Park in Sunbury, Ohio as a freshman.

Seven riders are returnees from the 2007 Cacchione competition. These riders are Hannah Mayer of the College of Charleston, who rallied at the final show to move from fourth in the Zone 5, Region 3 open rider race to first; Kati Cibon of Ohio University, who at one point trailed Ohio State's Christine Commons but came back to qualify out of Zone 6, Region 1 for a third consecutive season; Clemson University's Charlotte Powers, who went back and forth briefly with teammate Sarah Spainhour in the close Zone 5, Region 2 race; Erin Albert of Seton Hill University, whose 15 point lead in Zone 3, Region 3 become the final margin of victory after the final two shows were cancelled due to weather issues; Brittany Denton of Virginia Intermont College, who pulled away from teammate Ashley Miller and St. Andrews' Janelle Harcus to win 88-78 in what for a long time was a close Zone 4, Region 3 battle; Callie Schott of the University of Kentucky, a winner out of Zone 6, Region 2 who was second at 2007 Nationals in the Cacchione class, and Michael Lenard of Northern Illinois University, who has mathematically clinched in Zone 9, Region 2 but still has the final IHSA Regular season show of 2007-08 ahead of him to potentially increase his total.

Several other riders who had already qualified a few weeks earlier finally were revealed to Campus Equestrian. Whitney Fouts will represent Zone 7, Region 1. The West Texas A & M senior made the top ten in the open western rider standings as well as the hunter seat. Rice University can claim a Cacchione rider if not for the first time then for the first time since at least the early 1990's. Mimi Willard will ride for Rice out of Zone 7, Region 2, where only five hunter seat shows took place, precisely enough to make everything legal. While St. Mary of the Woods was busy upending Purdue for the Zone 9, Region 1 hunter seat title open rider Aubrey Fait came up one point shy of the University of Illinois' Jillian Rountree for the Cacchione honor, 93-92. And Lia Nagle of the University of Montana Western is the top open rider in Zone 8, Region 3.

Of the seven repeaters from '07 only Schott and Denton made the top ten last season (Denton finished fourth overall). Therefore it is safe to say that at least eight riders are going to place inside the top ten for the USEF Cacchione Cup when IHSA Nationals take place May 8th through 11th at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

--Steve Maxwell

(Editor's Note: Though she was the Zone 5, Region 1 Cacchione Cup Qualifier, Vanderbilt University freshman Whitney Goulart is not competing in the division at Nationals. Region 1 runner-up Lindsay Maxwell of the University of the South will take her place in the Cacchione class.)

The complete list of 2008 IHSA Nationals Cacchione Cup competitors, each of whom will compete for the USEF Cacchione Cup May 8-10 in Burbank, California:

ZONE 1, REGION 1: Tara Lynch, University of Connecticut

ZONE 1, REGION 2: Daisy Freund, Dartmouth College

ZONE 1, REGION 3: Kate Lawrence, University of Massachusetts at Amherst

ZONE 1, REGION 4: Rebecca Renier, Tufts University

ZONE 2, REGION 1: James Fairclough, Drew University

ZONE 2, REGION 2: Dorothy Douglas, St. Lawrence University

ZONE 2, REGION 3: Megan Martin, Skidmore College

ZONE 2, REGION 4: Elysse Ruschmeyer, Fairfield University

ZONE 3, REGION 1: Samantha Pandolfi, Penn State University (State College)

ZONE 3, REGION 2: Kristina Christiansen, University of Delaware

ZONE 3, REGION 3: Erin Albert, Seton Hill University

ZONE 3, REGION 4: Jess Engle, Lehigh University

ZONE 4, REGION 1: Brittany Martin, Goucher College

ZONE 4, REGION 2: Katie Furches, Hollins University

ZONE 4, REGION 3: Brittany Denton, Virginia Intermont College

ZONE 5, REGION 1: Lindsay Maxwell, University of the South

ZONE 5, REGION 2: Charlotte Powers, Clemson University

ZONE 5, REGION 3: Hannah Mayer, College of Charleston

ZONE 6, REGION 1: Kati Cibon, Ohio University

ZONE 6, REGION 2: Callie Schott, University of Kentucky

ZONE 6, REGION 3: Matt Piccolo, University of Findlay

ZONE 6, REGION 4: Jenna Watson, University of Michigan

ZONE 7, REGION 1: Whitney Fouts, West Texas A & M University

ZONE 7, REGION 2: Mimi Willard, Rice University

ZONE 8, REGION 1: Brittany Henson, University of Nevada at Reno

ZONE 8, REGION 2: Savannah Cook, University of California at Los Angeles

ZONE 8, REGION 3: Lia Nagle, University of Montana Western

ZONE 8, REGION 4: Laura Bagby, Washington State University

ZONE 9, REGION 1: Jillian Rountree, University of Illinois

ZONE 9, REGION 2: Michael Lenard, Northern Illinois University

ZONE 9, REGION 3: Rachel Erickson, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities