Jenna Nissan was one of four Tufts riders to win a class at the November 19th Boston College show. The sophomore had won her advanced walk-trot-canter class a week earlier as well.

TUFTS WINS WHILE WHEATON TAKES LEAD INTO WINTER BREAK

Westford, MA - On an overcast Sunday during which five teams would score 30 or more points, Tufts University turned in the winning performance, leading the field of 12 schools with 39 points. The Jumbos moved to within nine points of the top spot. Reserve honors went to the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, the Corsairs scoring a season-high 37 points to improve on their previous high of 34 at their own show two weeks earlier.

Defending Region 4 Champion Wheaton College may have lost the battle yet the Lyons are still winning the war. Freshman Kathryn Giuseppone won both her novice flat and fences classes to lead the Lyons 36-point effort. In spite of the fact that half of Wheaton's riders at 2006 Zone 1 Zones have graduated, the Lyons are at 161 points through five shows, having scored 10 more than at the same point of the 2005-06 season.

However things change rapidly in Region 4, as the overall lead has changed following four of the five fall shows. Stonehill led through the first and second shows, then Wheaton took a 96-95 lead on Stonehill at the UMass-Dartmouth show, then Boston University moved ahead of Wheaton 126-125 at Holly Hill Farm a week before today's show.

The balance within Region 4 could even be felt over the first six classes, as six different schools claimed blue ribbons. The show started at 9:15AM, with Stonehills' Jamie Marsalise the first winner over open fences. The sophomore from Laurel Hollow, New York would be one of only two riders to win twice at today's show. Christine Powell of Boston University prevailed in the second section of open fences while Meredith Milliner of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth became the first freshman of the day with a blue ribbon by winning the third section. From Sutton, Massachusetts, Milliner sits in fourth place within the Region 4 Cacchione/Open Rider Standings headed into the winter break.

Two sections of intermediate fences followed, with Tufts junior Megan Kiely scoring the first of the Jumbo's four blue ribbons. Ashley Vorrias of Endicott won the second section. This was the first IHSA blue ribbon for the freshman from Peabody, Massachusetts, and was also a good omen for the Gulls. Endicott went on to score a season-high 34 points at Volo Farm on this day.

Molly Pounds (left) is from outside of Chicago. Darragh Buckley (right) is from Ireland. Both could claim to be the only MIT riders at the Boston College show to win ribbons third place or higher, with Pounds third in open fences and Buckley second over the intermediate jumps.

Three seconds of novice fences were next, with Wheaton sophomore Meghan Smith the first Lyon to win a blue ribbon at today's show. Giuseppone would make Wheaton the first team with two blue ribbons a short time later, winning the second novice fences section. The Lyons could not sweep the division, as they had no one entered in section C. Megan Martinez of Stonehill won that section, giving the Sky Hawks a second blue ribbon.

In much the same fashion as the team race, the alumni standings have changed quite a bit from week-to-week, in part because some exceptional riders do not compete at every show. Nine riders were registered to compete in the alumni fences, but with UMass-Dartmouth graduate Tracy Wallace not present only eight navigated the course. Wallace remained within the top five in both alumni flat and fences, though former teammate Kate Goodwin's first blue ribbon of the season lifted her total to 16 points and third overall in alumni fences. Second went to 1998 Penn State graduate Anneke Bartlesman, who rode only one time as an undergraduate but earned her highest over fences ribbon of the season so far with today's jumping effort. Marie Stewart, who had been a big hero in the grand scheme of things for Wheaton last season, earned her first-ever alumni ribbon with a third here. 2000 Sweet Briar College graduate Ashley Hill was fourth yet her three points bring her total over fences to 20 which is currently first place in the region. 2002 Endicott graduate Sarah Bullard was fifth while former Worcester State rider Sandra Walsh earned the green ribbon. Now at 18 points over fences, Walsh is the only rider to earn a ribbon in each of the ten Region 4 alumni classes held so far in 2006-07.

Seen here with Head Coach Susan O'Hearn, Bryana McGillycuddy of Boston College (on left with 'Fringe') is one of three Region 4 riders with exactly 30 combined flat and fences points in the open division through five shows. McGillycuddy won her open flat class at the November 19th show which the Eagles hosted at Volo Farm.

After a 46 minute lunch break and a switch from the jumping indoor to the flating indoor at Volo Farm, the alumni completed their afternoon before the open riders took their second turn. Though 2005 Tufts graduate Katie Estes was out of the top six in jumping her record is now three-for-three on the flat so far this season. Estes' win in alumni flat moved her into the lead with 21 points while Bartlesman won her third red ribbon of the year on the flat to tie Wallace for third at 15 points. Walsh managed to stay in the top five overall on the flat with a third while Hills' fourth brought her total to 17 points. Bullard earned her second pink ribbon of the afternoon while Goodwin was sixth, putting her in a tie with Walsh and Kristy Heath at ten points each (if anyone knows which State University of New York school Heath competed for as an undergradute can they please send us an e-mail? - Editor).

The home team faired the best in four sections of open flat, as both Michala Mulhern and Bryana McGillycuddy of Boston College were blue ribbon winners. Marsalise won the first section to secure a place in the ride-off while the remaining section went to current Region 4 Cacchione/Open Rider Standings leader Tessa LeCuyer. Pronounced "Lick-Coy-Ay" the Tufts senior from Corrales, New Mexico finished the day with 47 points, six more than teammate Rebecca Renier and ten more than Marsalise.

Yet another school had a class winner when Lori Kinney won the third section of intermediate flat for the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Stonehill freshman Stephanie Perry had won the first section while Amelia Knight of Wheaton won inbetween.

University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth senior and Captain Jaclyn Morency was one of three Corsair riders to win a class on November 19th. Morency won her novice flat class while UMass-Dartmouth finished as Reserve High Point Team for the day.

UMass at Dartmouth Captain Jaclyn Morency won the second of three blue ribbons for the Corsairs in the first section of novice flat while Giuseppone won the second section to force a ride-off with Marsalise. Stonehill riders claimed the third and fourth novice sections, as Kelli Ann Monroe and Renee Rogers won back-to-back.

Though it is not an official class, Marsalise made it three straight blue ribbons for the Sky Hawks, winning the two-way ride-off with Giuseppone. This would mark the only time all day that (technically) any team could claim to have won three consecutive blue ribbons.

Boston College then won two in a row, as Julie Kanner and Katie White earned blue ribbons in the first two sections of advanced walk-trot-canter. Section 2B3 as it was called went to Jenna Nissan of Tufts while yet another BC rider won as Bridget Sweeney took the blue in the fourth section. The hosts finished the day with only 19 points, perhaps hampered by the lack of riders in either intermediate division or walk-trot. Yet Boston College did win five official blue ribbons, the most of any team entered on this day.

So far eight schools had broken into the blue ribbon column at least once. The first section of beginner walk-trot-canter brought Wellesley on board as the ninth school, as Lauren Holmes earned the appropriately-named Blue their only first of the day. Rebecca Viera won the final blue ribbon of the day for UMass-Dartmouth in the second section a short time later.

From New York City, Wheaton College freshman Kathryn Giuseppone had the lightest-colored coat of any rider at todays' show. Was it a lucky coat? You could make a case that it was, as Giuseppone won both of her novice classes while Wheaton moved back into first place in the team standings.

The show concluded with a pair of walk-trot classes. Considering that roughly a quarter of the teams this writer has seen compete prior to today's show did not have a walk-trotter, Region 4 should be proud that ten of their twelve teams at today's show had a walk-trotter entered. Endicott earned one more blue ribbon courtesy of Anna DiLorenzo while the final class of the day was won by Mary von Reuden of Tufts, giving the Jumbos their final seven points and high point team honors at Volo Farm.

Three other schools not previously mentioned also competed at today's show. Massachusetts Institute of Technology earned the most points of these three entries, with 16 points. Intermediate fences rider Darragh Buckley earned the highest placing for MIT with a second in intermediate fences. Both Brandeis and Bridgewater State scored eleven points. Leading the way for Brandeis was freshman Maia Belic, who finished second in her section of novice fences. Rapidly-growing Bridgewater State had a pair of riders who came in third. Amanda Clark earned her yellow ribbon in novice fences while Cheryl Davis was third in novice flat. According to Bridgewater State Captain Angelina Corazzini (who was previously a member of the Saint Andrews Presbyterian College team) the Bears competed for the first time in an IHSA last Spring with seven members. Twelve of their current 14 members were entered at todays' show and three more are expected to take part starting this fall.

One final look at the team race: Though defending region champion Wheaton is currently nine in front of Tufts for the top spot, three Region 4 spring shows are tentatively scheduled. The Lyons cannot afford to drop back as Tufts, Stonehill, UMass at Dartmouth and Boston University are separated by only five points! The final regular season show is currently slated for Saturday, March 31st, with Region 4 Regionals the next day. Though many other regions in New England and nationwide will hold Regional shows on March 31st it appears the Bridgewater/UMass-Lowell show that same day will be even more exciting, especially if five schools still entertain real hope of advancing a full team to Zone 1 Zones at Mount Holyoke a week later.

--Steve Maxwell

Show Incidentals: Overcast skies, with the high temperature in the mid '40's. Entire show held indoors. Start time: 9:15AM. Finish: 3:25PM - includes 46 minute Lunch Break/Coaches and Captains meeting. Point cards posted in this region?: Yes. Alumni Classes held in this region? Yes. Judge: Gabor Francia-Kiss. Stewards: Bruneau/University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Hare/Wheaton College and Mederios/University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

Team Totals: Tufts University (High Point Team) 39; University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth (Reserve) 37; Wheaton College 36; Endicott College 34; Stonehill College 33; Wellesley College 21; Boston University 21; Boston College 19; Massachusetts Institute of Technology 16; Brandeis University 11; Bridgewater State University 11 and University of Massachusetts at Lowell 11.

High Point Rider - Jamie Marsalise, Stonehill College
Reserve High Point Rider - Kathryn Giuseppone, Wheaton College