The Blue one. Yes we will pose with that one! Clark University junior Natalie Parslow (on left) and senior Gabrielle Asay won consecutive classes at the November 8th Amherst College show. Clark did well for the day considering they had only the walk-trot and walk-trot-canter divisions filled.

MOUNT HOLYOKE'S LEAD GETS BIGGER

Shelburne, MA - Usually when we at Campus Equestrian post a story on a Region 3 show it usually starts with something about a rider who helped lead their team to victory or how one team is trying to extend their streak of Region Championships while another is trying to put an end to it. Then usually all the winners from the winning team are listed, followed by the winners from the reserve champion until every schools' winners or runner-ups have been mentioned.

Rather than mention the usual current top two Region 3 teams right at the beginning of the story, we thought we would do the opposite and start at the bottom, working our way to the top. Clark University scored 11 points, one less than three other schools, so they receive our attention first.

Though they had only two divisions filled on their point card, Clark could claim six riders competing at today's show at Biscuit Hill Farm. Gabrielle Asay, a senior who is new to the Clark team in 2008-09, won her first IHSA blue ribbon in Clark's first ride of the day. After Asay's win in walk-trot-canter, teammate Natalie Parslow proceeded to win the very next class. The Clark junior won the first section of beginner walk-trot-canter, and was the final Clark rider of the day to win a class. Clark's lone walk-trot rider of the day, Vanessa Puglisi, was third, giving the Cougars four more points in addition to the seven which either Asay or Parslow brought home earlier (Region 3 does not post point sheets, so point riders can be determined only some of the time). Michelle Smith also added a second in beginner walk-trot-canter for good measure.

Standing between Landmark College Team Advisor Lee Crocker (on left) and Head Coach Bethe Jankelson, Paige Williams is all smiles after having won her section of novice fences. Despite having only two riders at today's show Landmark still scored a respectable 12 points.

Of the three schools to score 12 points, Landmark College did so with the fewest rides. Though they were able to fill three places on their point card, only Sarah Lasher (fifth in the section of beginner walk-trot-canter that Parslow won) and Paige Williams competed for Landmark on this day. Williams won her section of novice fences and later placed fourth in novice flat to earn ten of Landmark's 12 points. Landmark doubled their season point total to date, having scored six points on two separate occasions prior to driving down Route 2 to Shelburne.

Hampshire College scored 12 points with no rider placing above third place. However Tamara Raidoo (novice flat), Kristin Van Patten (same), Isabel Orden (walk-trot-canter) and Heather Alexander (intermediate flat) all earned yellow ribbons. It is likely that three of these four riders were pointed, explaining how Hampshire earned a dozen points for the day.

Springfield College was the only school to score 12 and have a walk-trot and an open rider showing in the event. Natalie Rolince competed in the final scheduled class of the day, the third section of open flat, placing fourth. Heather Kelly was fourth in novice flat while Allison Vander Werff was fifth in walk-trot. Springfield's best ribbon of the day came via junior Kristy McKillop, who was third in the section of walk-trot-canter which Asay won.

Williams Head Coach Linda Orton (second on left) made her IHSA alumni debut 18 years after her final undergraduate ride for the University of Vermont. Many Williams riders pose with Orton (some of them having painted their faces with the Williams school colors) and her dog Zeb after the Vermont grad went undefeated for the day.

Williams College scored 20 points to finish ahead of the four schools already discussed at length. Leading the way for Williams was senior Co-Captain Amanda Alps. From Friday Harbor, Washington Alps won her section of walk-trot-canter. Shawna McArdle was second in her section of walk-trot while Madeline King was second in the first section of walk-trot-canter, which was also Kings' first appearance above the beginner walk-trot-canter level. Three Williams riders received yellow, third place ribbons.

While the Williams team managed only one blue ribbon, their coach managed two! 1990 University of Vermont graduate Linda Orton, who had never once ridden in an alumni class, was pressed into service after a pair of riders scratched (without Orton bringing the total number of riders to three today's alumni classes would not have been legal, in that each IHSA class save for those at Regionals, Zones and Semifinals must be made up of a minimum three riders for the points to count). With some borrowed clothing, Orton managed to win both of the alumni divisions, with recent Smith College graduate Lizzy Jacobson second in both alumni flat and fences and Mount Holyoke College graduate (and current Becker College Head Coach) Trina Baker the winner of two yellow ribbons. Orton, who is in her first season as Williams Head Coach, has the Ephs in fifth place overall with 99 points through four shows. Interestingly Orton is only nine points behind Jacobson in alumni flat and 11 behind Baker in alumni fences in spite of entering only one show so far. Since alumni riders need 28 points in a division to qualify for Regionals, and since there are exactly three more regular season shows it is hoped that Orton will continue to ride and try to keep her winning streak intact.

The arch rival of the Ephs are the Jeffs, better known as Amherst College. The host Jeffs had finished behind the Ephs at each of the first three shows, but today Amherst scored 21 to beat Williams by a point. Elizabeth Butterfield earned the Jeffs' lone blue ribbon of the day three classes into the show, tops in a field of eight vying for a blue in intermediate fences. Tanya Jackson's third in novice fences and Peter Tang's third in walk-trot were the only other ribbons above fourth place for Amherst.

Holy Cross scored 26 points, with open rider Lauren Duffee (on right) earning 12 of them. Head Coach Frank Perla (on left) has the Crusaders in sixth place overall, while Duffee is only four points out of first in the Region 3 open rider standings.

Despite competing without an open fences rider Westfield State College earned quite a few reds, one blue and a total of 24 points. Laura Hutton and Caitlin Hathaway finished second in consecutive intermediate fences classes while senior Jessica Riccordi was second in walk-trot-canter at what was only her third IHSA show. Nicole Melaine was second in novice fences while sophomore Lori Eveleth won Westfield State's lone blue ribbon of the day in the first section of walk-trot.

The College of the Holy Cross had their best day so far in 2008-09, scoring 26 points without a rider in the walk-trot-canter levels. Lauren Duffee was first in open flat and second in open fences to qualify for the ride-off for reserve. Duffee finished the day with 41 points through four shows, putting her only four points out of first place in the Region 3 open rider standings. Freshman Erin Knapp won her section of novice flat while Katherine Larson was second in the section which immediately followed.

Two teams scored 27 points, one of which was Smith College. The Pioneers were led by Vivian Chen, whose first in walk-trot was Smiths' only blue ribbon of the day. While blue ribbons were hard to come by red ribbons were not, as seven different Pioneers came in second. The red ribbon role call (in order of appearance) was Nicole Haseltine (open fences), Morgan Brescia (novice fences), Martha Maloney-Huss (same), Susan Humphrey (walk-trot-canter), Abigail Milnor-Sweetser (novice flat), Anya Bahros (same) and Brescia, a sophomore from Seekonk, Massachusetts, again but in intermediate flat. Smith stands at exactly 100 points through four shows.

Though Becker College novice rider Sarah Grogan could not compete due to a fractured elbow she was on hand to lend support to the Hawks. From left to right are Angela Bernier (who was second in novice fences), Grogan, Becker Head Coach and alumni rider Trina Baker and Alie Robbie. The Hawks were one of two teams to score 27 points at the Amherst show.

Becker College also scored 27 points, and like each of the previous two teams mentioned earned one blue ribbon and several red ones. Angela Bernier (novice fences), Monica Stanley (walk-trot-canter), Jessica Banta (walk-trot) and Erin Blosenski (same) were second in their respective classes while Kayla Struber was first in the second section of novice fences. Becker finished the day with 106 points through the fall shows, good enough for third place overall. Hawks Head Coach Trina Baker (who graduated from Mount Holyoke in the late 1980's) finished the day with 18 points in alumni fences, the most points of any Region 3 alumni rider in one of the two alumni divisions.

The difference between second and fourth for the day turned out to be only two points, as the University of Massachusetts at Amherst was Reserve High Point Team with 28. Uncharacteristicaly it took UMass ten classes to earn a ribbon above third place, with sophomore Mari Mavilia breaking the drought with a first in walk-trot-canter. From that point forward things inproved considerably, with Alicia Quigley second in the final walk-trot-canter section, Geena Lombardi second in the first section of beginner walk-trot-canter and Catheline Froehlich a blue ribbon winner in the second section of beginner walk-trot-canter. Later on Meaghan Maynard was a winner in novice flat while sophomore Alex Reissig won the final class of the day before the ride-off, the third section of open flat. Junior Kate Lawrence remained in the hunt for the high point open rider, earning a second in open flat and a fourth in open fences. The defending Region 3 Cacchione Cup qualifier is now tied for fourth, seven points out of first place in her bid to earn the automatic trip to Nationals.

Several Mount Holyoke College open riders are well positioned for a possible Cacchione appearance. Cassie Herman was first in open fences to start the day while finishing second to Reissig in open flat to almost end it. Tracey Mack won her open flat while finishing third in open fences while Amanda Pettengill copied Herman's placings to join Duffee and Herman in the Reserve High Point Rider Ride-off. Herman continues to lead the Region 3 open rider standings, now at 45 points to Mack's 42. Pettengill and Lawrence are now both at 38 while Duffee sits in the middle with 41.

A freshman from Woodbridge, Connecticut, Margaret Swanson of Mount Holyoke College stands between a couple of her fans after winning her section of novice fences. Swanson would later win her novice flat to become the only rider with two firsts at today's show.

In fact the whole Mount Holyoke team took a big step towards going to Nationals. Entering the day up on UMass by a 117-112 margin, the Lyons finished way ahead of everyone else, just missing a perfect score and settling for 47 points. Lora Ciborowski (intermediate fences), Anne Tucker (walk-trot-canter), Jasmine Haddad (same), Bridget Brady (walk-trot), Emily Coler (novice flat), Katie Viechnicki (same) and Meredith Feinberg (intermediate flat) joined Herman, Mack and Pettengill with one blue ribbon each while Margaret Swanson won both of her novice classes. A freshman from Woodbridge, Connecticut, Swanson was the only rider at today's show to win twice, thus securing High Point Rider honors. About the only thing Mount Holyoke did not have much of were red ribbons. Until Pettengill and Herman earned them in the final open flat classes the Lyons had zero runner-up showings to that point. Mount Holyoke gained 19 points on defending region champion UMass and now hold a 164-140 lead on the Minutemen headed into the spring.

The Ride-Off: Though she needs to make up seven points in the open rider standings to her teammate, Pettengill won the ride-off versus Herman and the Crusader's Duffee. The senior from Guilford, Vermont known to her teammates as "Pets" earned Reserve High Point Rider honors to conclude the show at just past quarter to three.

---Steve Maxwell

Show Incidentals: Cloudy, with occasional rain. Temperatures in the low 40's. Entire show held indoors. Start time: 9:25AM. Finish: 2:47PM - includes a 10 minute break to remove jumps from the middle of the ring (Coaches and Captains meeting held prior to start of show). Point Cards posted in this region? No. Alumni Classes held in this region? Yes. Judge: Fred Hunt, Plympton, MA. Stewards: Baker/Becker College, Law/Mount Holyoke College and Payne/Smith College.

Team Totals: Mount Holyoke College (High Point Team) 47; University of Massachusetts at Amherst (Reserve High Point Team) 28; Smith College 27; Becker College 27; College of the Holy Cross 26; Westfield State College 24; Amherst College 21; Williams College 20; Hampshire College 12; Landmark College 12; Springfield College 12 and Clark University 11.

High Point Rider - Margaret Swanson, Mount Holyoke College
Reserve High Point Rider - Amanda Pettengill, Mount Holyoke College