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While Cody Wooton of Centenary College (on right) still had time to get into show gear his teammate Caroline Norton (on left) was ready to mount up for the team novice flat class at IHSA Nationals on May 1st. Norton won the division while Wooton would win team intermediate flat later that afternoon as Centenary went ahead for good on their way to an IHSA National Championship. Almost five months later Centenary is one of many IHSA teams kicking off a new season this weekend.

BOTH DEFENDING IHSA NATIONAL CHAMPION TEAMS COMPETE OVER SEPTEMBER'S FINAL WEEKEND

Though it is not officially the first weekend of IHSA competition in 2014-15 (last weekend was) it is the busiest weekend ever in the month of September for the IHSA, with 17 shows over two days involving 14 different regions.

The last time Centenary College competed the Cyclones were busy earning their third hunter seat National Championship in six seasons, besting the College of Charleston by a 31-24 score at IHSA Nationals in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on May 3rd. The Cyclones will travel to LaGrangeville, New York to open the season where it kicked off for Zone 3, Region 3 last season, with Marist College and Vassar College co-hosting on Saturday.

Likewise Ohio State University won a hard-fought 29-25 contest with the University of Findlay in Harrisburg last May 4th. The Buckeyes begin defense of their western National Championship on Sunday as Wilmington College and Ohio University co-host in Zone 6, Region 2.

The 2014-15 season officially began last Saturday when St. Andrews University hosted a pair of Zone 4, Region 3 Western shows (one each day), with the host Knights narrowly defeating North Carolina State by similar scores. On the 20th St. Andrews won 34-30 while NC State was a little better the next day, falling by only 34-32. Perhaps the most unusual statistical quirk so far in Zone 4, Region 3 is that John Falls of Lenoir-Rhyne University not only leads the region in open western points with 24 but that Lenoir-Rhyne as a team has a total of 24 points! Incidentally this equals Lenoir-Rhyne's team total for all of the 2013-14 season.

Though it was not an official IHSA show, the Pre-Season Tournament of Champions took place on the campus of Goucher College in Towson, Maryland on September 20th. Seventeen schools took part, with Savannah College of Art & Design bringing two teams. While the SCAD yellow team scored 20 points for eighth place and the SCAD black team scored 36 for reserve champion honors, perhaps they should have merged as it might have been enough to win. Instead host Goucher was high point team at a Tournament of Champions event for the first time in program history with 41 points. Goucher freshman Cary Hundley, who herself won the ETS Medal class as a high school junior at the same facility nearly two years ago to the day, won intermediate on the flat to start the day for the Gophers who never really looked back. Clea Lerner won novice flat, Kaduk Sherpa (pronounced "Kan-duk") won novice fences and Joey Fink won open flat to give Goucher blue ribbons in half of their eight rides. Mount Holyoke College was third with 34 points while the St. Andrews University hunter seat team was fourth with 30. Winning the class that Hundley won two years earlier was high school sophomore Mackenzie Russ of Sayville, New York. Russ was best in a field of nine, with Lizzi Videtta of Canton, Massachusetts the reserve champion. Campus Equestrian hopes to post complete Tournament of Champions results sometime in the near future.

No less than ten of the 17 IHSA teams which competed in the Pre-Season Tournament will compete in traditional IHSA shows this weekend. Due to time constraints (this writer recently started working for a new employer which will affect the amount of new editorial you read here from week-to-week) the IHSA shows for this weekend are listed below with a brief blurb about each afterward.

Perhaps the most noteworthy school Not competing this weekend or any other is three-time IHSA National Champion hunter seat team Virginia Intermont College. Most recently a National Champion at the Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts in 2007 (Nationals are back at the Big E this season - Editor), VI as a school closed up shop following the 2013-14 school year. Though the Virginia Intermont program is now relegated to IHSA history the facility in Bristol, Virginia where VI trained and hosted shows has a new lease on life. Emory and Henry College, located in Emory, Virginia only 14 miles north of the Virginia Intermont Riding Facility, has taken on the VI coaching staff and the facility itself. Though Emory and Henry won't host a show there this season the school will be a member of the IHSA for the first time (and in Zone 4, Region 2, a departure from where VI was last season). It will be interesting to see how quickly the E&H program develops in the IHSA's 48th full season of competition.

Pack the sun block, bring toilet paper, rehydrate, don't forget to settle the tab with the food concession and enjoy the shows!

--Steve Maxwell


englishSaturday, September 27th:

westernZone 2, Region 1 Alfred University (Host) at the Alfred University Equestrian Center, also known as the Bromeley-Daggett Equestrian Center at the Maris Cuneo Horse Park, Alfred Station, NY 10:00AM 2 WESTERN ONLY

Last season Alfred won this region by 146 points over an RIT team which finished with only 108 points over eight shows. The Saxons also had the top five open riders in the region.

englishZone 3, Region 3 Marist College/Vassar College (Co-Hosts) at Crosswinds Equestrian Center, LaGrangeville, NY 9:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

Defending hunter seat National Champion Centenary College may have graduated Kathryn Haley but welcome IEA and ETS standout Skylar Laakso to their roster.

englishZone 3, Region 4 Kutztown University (Host) at Pipe Dream Farm, New Tripoli, PA Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Either Lafayette or Rutgers has claimed the region title here over the past six seasons.

englishZone 3, Region 5 Valley Forge Military College (Host) on the campus of Valley Forge Military College, Wayne, PA 9:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

Former Bucknell open rider Whitney Scott (now Whitney Carmouche) is the third University of Delaware hunter seat coach in as many semesters. The Fighting Hens opening day coach of a year ago, Bryan Bradley, starts his second semester as assistant coach at Villanova.

englishZone 4, Region 2 Randolph College/Lynchburg College (Co-Hosts) at Randolph College Riding Center, Lynchburg, VA 10:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

Randolph finished fifth and Bridgewater sixth at the Tournament of Champions last weekend. Everyone else will be showing for the first time in 2014-15, including the IHSA debut of Emory and Henry College.

englishZone 4, Region 4 University of Richmond (Host) at Haverhill Equestrian, Glen Allen, VA 10:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

Mary Washington and Virginia Commonwealth both showed at the Tournament last weekend, with UMW outscoring VCU 13-7. However Aly Howse of the Rams won the Collegiate Medal class.

englishZone 5, Region 1 University of the South (Host) on campus at the Howell Riding Facility, Sewanee, TN 9:00AM (CENTRAL TIME) ENGLISH ONLY

Helped in part by open rider Madeline Reich winning the Region 1 hunter seat open rider race by 35 points last season, Middle Tennessee State sent a full hunter seat team to Zones for the first time in over a decade. However Vanderbilt finished only nine points out.

westernZone 5, Region 2 University of North Georgia (Host) at Epiphany Farm, Dahlonega, GA 9:00AM 2 WESTERN ONLY

Berry College has won eleven straight western region titles and won their region by a 260-95 total over Judson College last season, the widest differential separating first and second in the nation.

englishZone 5, Region 3 Georgia Southern University (Host) at Evermore Farm, Brooklet, GA 8:30AM ENGLISH ONLY

Defending reserve national champion College of Charleston and the University of South Carolina are the teams to beat here.

englishZone 5, Region 5 Florida State University (Host) at Little Pond Farm, Tallahassee, FL 8:30AM ENGLISH ONLY

Savannah College of Art & Design scored well at the Tournament last weekend and will seek a fifth consecutive Region Title in 2014-15.

englishZone 7, Region 3 Gustavus Adolphus College (Host) at Nicollet County Fairgrounds, St. Peter, MN 11:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

The University of Minnesota at Crookston has won three of the past five region titles here including last season. However the races with Minnesota (Twin Cities) and North Dakota State are often close.

englishZone 7, Region 5 Truman State University (Host) at the Truman State University Farm, Kirksville, MO 1:00PM WESTERN ONLY

Black Hawk College pulled away from Northeastern Oklahoma A & M over the final two shows last season. However NEO has been a force to be reckoned with through only two seasons in the IHSA.


englishSunday, September 28th:

englishZone 2, Region 5 Slippery Rock University/Edinboro University/Penn State - Behrend Campus (Co-Hosts) at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center, Slippery Rock, PA 9:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

West Virginia University has quietly moved into a tie for the fifth-longest active run of hunter seat Region Titles with Stanford University at nine each. Only Centenary, Skidmore, Findlay, Penn State and the now-defunct Virginia Intermont have active streaks dating back before the 2005-06 season. This Region was known as Zone 6, Region 5 last season.

englishZone 5, Region 1 University of the South (Host) on campus at the Howell Riding Facility, Sewanee, TN 9:00AM (CENTRAL TIME) ENGLISH ONLY

The host school most recently won a region title when the current seniors were freshmen.

westernZone 6, Region 2 Wilmington College/Ohio University (Host) at the Wilmington College Equine Center, Wilmington, OH 9:00AM 2 WESTERN ONLY

The defending Western National Champions will compete for the first time without recent graduate Austin Griffith for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

englishZone 7, Region 3 Gustavus Adolphus College (Host) at Nicollet County Fairgrounds, St. Peter, MN 9:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

This region featured a great open rider race last season, settled by only a point.

englishZone 7, Region 5 Truman State University (Host) at the Truman State University Farm, Kirksville, MO 10:00AM WESTERN ONLY

There are more western teams in this region than hunter seat teams, with Black Hawk and NEO both showing only in the western category last season.


All times listed are local time. Show Schedule subject to change.

 


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