Campus Equestrian: Zone 2 Region 3 Home Page

IHSA ZONE 2 - REGION 3

We told Colgate University seniors Ruby Verga (on left) and Dulcie Morris (on right) that they would know that the Region 3 photos had changed when they saw their picture at the top of this page! From Westfield, New Jersey, Verga is one of seven Colgate hunter seat riders to qualify for Regionals during the fall. Verga is in on the intermediate fences while Morris (from Malibu, California) sits in fifth place in the Region 3 hunter seat open rider standings.

If your show starts with open fences, and the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds are entered, it is a very good bet that Sophia Olivero (on left) will be in one of the first two classes. From Katonah, New York, Olivero rode in the first class at both Skidmore's final Region 3 fall show and at the Holiday Tournament of Champions invitational in Long Valley, New Jersey on December 2nd. And the Skidmore sophomore won both of those classes! Head Coach Belinda Colgan (on right) was especially happy when the final fall Region 3 show was over, as Skidmore posted an immaculate "56" score on their point card (even the drop was a first place ribbon). This was the first time since Colgan became head coach in mid-2019 that Skidmore accomplished this feat.

At IHSA Semifinals events the top four individuals in each division and (starting in March of 2023) the top four teams advance through to IHSA Nationals. Maggie Herbert of Morrisville State College placed fifth in team open western horsemanship at the Findlay, Ohio Semifinal event on March 19th to put the Mustangs one point ahead of Mount Holyoke College for the fourth and final seat at Nationals. From Jeffersonville, New York, Herbert is seen here with her number 262 that she wore in four different classas at 2023 IHSA Nationals in Lexington, Kentucky. Between May 5th and 7th Herbert was fifth in team open reining, ninth in individual open reining, sixth in team open western horsemanship and eighth in the High Point Open Rider Championship which determines the top western rider for the season. Region 3 Western has a slightly different look in 2023-24, as the State University of New York at Oswego and the University of Guelph have joined Morrisville State, Colgate and Syracuse in the new, larger Region 3 brought about in part due to the demise of Cazenovia College. And through the first two shows the Mustangs had a healthy 27 point lead on Guelph prior to a doubleheader at Morrisville on December 3rd.

The Morrisville State College hunter seat team has been second to Skidmore at the end of the year too many times to count, but the Mustangs managed a rare feat when they outscored the defending IHSA National Champions not once but twice in a two-day span November 4th and 5th. Morrisville won outright 41-40 at the first of their two home shows, then the total was 35-33 over the Thoroughbreds the next day (how about this for 'close' on November 5th: Skidmore and Siena with 33, Morrisville with 35, State University of New York at Cobleskill 36 and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute high point team with 37). Sarah Wood made good for the Mustangs at both shows, winning her intermediate fences while placing second in intermediate flat on November 4th, then flipping those placings the next day. A junior from DeRuyter, New York, Wood is seen here at the November 18th Skidmore show where her second in intermediate flat made her a regional qualifier in the division.

It is becoming more and more common to meet team captains who are only sophomores at IHSA shows. One of them is Sophia Rose of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (on left, with head coach Megan Rogers). From Colchester, Connecticut, Rose started her 2023-24 season by placing third in limit flat on October 28th to qualify for Regionals in the division. Then her first in intermediate fences on November 5th helped make RPI high point team for perhaps the first time in program history! Through five fall shows Rogers has the Engineers in third place, only 12 points behind Morrisville but only three points ahead of Siena.

Retired Formula One race car driver Sebastian Vettel drove for the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin among others from 2007 through 2022. Olivia Witkowski of Siena College (pictured) is a fan of Vettel's, and after a second in novice equitation on November 18th qualified the junior from Glenmont, New York for Regionals Witkowski made the same gesture that Vettel was known to make after his races. Witkowski is one of seven Saints qualified for Regionals which ties the school with Colgate for most Region 3 hunter seat riders qualified during the fall.

The State University of New York at Cobleskill finished the fall in fifth place. Head coach Ray Whelihan (on left) cannot call out the name "Palmer" at lessons since he has two riders with that last name, and both have first names which start with the letter "C." Courtney Palmer (not pictured) has qualified for Regionals in introductory equitation while Caroline Palmer (on right) is the only Fighting Tiger so far in 2023-24 to point up in two divisions. The sophomore from Pittsfield, Massachusetts is going to Regionals in both limit flat and intermediate fences.

There are four schools which are part of the State University of New York system in Region 3. They are Morrisville State, S.U.N.Y. - Cobleskill, Oneonta State College and the University at Albany. Great Danes head coach Tracy Pedersen (center) poses with MaryClaire McKenna (on left, a senior from Buffalo, New York) and Sarah Decker (a senior coincidentally from Albany, New York) during the November 18th Skidmore show. Decker's first in limit fences that day made her the first Albany rider to qualify for Regionals this season. The Great Danes have been the most consistant team within Region 3 this season, having scored 16 points, then 18, then 18, then 16 again and finally 18 on November 18th.

Two of the three Oneonta State College riders competed at the November 18th Skidmore Show. Taylor Teachout (on left), a junior from Yorktown Heights, New York, won her limit flat class for the second time this season while Hayley Harrell (on right), a sophomore from Ithaca, New York, was third in intermediate fences. Head coach Deb Purnat (center) saw Harrell point out of both limit divisions during the November 4th/5th weekend at Morrisville State.

From Bilbao, Spain, Hartwick College junior Nuria Santos (pictured) pointed out of intermediate fences with a fourth in the division at the November 11th Skidmore show. Santos needs only three points in early 2024 to qualify for Regionals in intermediate flat.

While most of the photos currently on this page are from the November 18, 2023 Skidmore show this photo of the Thoroughbred's Elise Sigety dates from February 19, 2022 when she won her limit fences class. Some may recall that from the mid-1980's until the spring of 1999 Cazenovia College trained and hosted shows out of a facility called the Sigety Horse Center. That facility was the brianchild of Elise Sigety's grandfather, who had an obsession with all things Cazenovia and was responsible for other donations to the school. The senior from Pipersville, Pennsylvania told us that her grandfather was not a horseperson, nor was anyone else in the Sigety family until Elise herself developed an obsession with ponies in her youth. Sigety was a blue ribbon winner in limit flat at the November 18th Skidmore show. Skidmore will be back in action at both the January 27th Tournament of Champions invitational in Hardeeville, South Carolina and will face the rest of Region 3 again at home on February 17th.

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The Zone 2, Region 3 Smorgasbord

Schools competing in Zone 2, Region 3 during the 2023-2024 school year: Colgate University, Hamilton College, Hartwick College, Morrisville State College, Oneonta State College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Siena College, Skidmore College, the State University of New York at Albany and the State University of New York at Cobleskill.

Winter/Spring 2024 Show Schedule for Zone 2, Region 3:

Saturday, February 17 Skidmore College (Host) at the Van Lennep Riding Center, Saratoga Springs, NY 8:30AM ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, February 17 Morrisville State College (Host) at the Morrisville State College Equine Center, Morrisville, NY 2:00PM WESTERN ONLY

Sunday, February 18 State University of New York at Oswego (Host) at the Morrisville State College Equine Center, Morrisville, NY Time TBA 2 WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, February 24 Morrisville State College (Host) at the Morrisville State College Equine Center, Morrisville, NY 9:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, March 2 Morrisville State College (Host) at the Morrisville State College Equine Center, Morrisville, NY 9:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

Sunday, March 3 Zone 2, Region 3 Western Regionals Hosted by Morrisville State College (Host) at the Morrisville State College Equine Center, Morrisville, NY Time TBA WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, March 9 Entire Region (Co-Hosts) at Dutch Manor, Guilderland, NY 11:00AM ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, March 23 WESTERN SEMIFINALS - DAY 1 Hosted by the University of Findlay at the University of Findlay Equine Animal Science Center, Findlay, OH 9:00AM WESTERN ONLY

Sunday, March 24 WESTERN SEMIFINALS - DAY 2 Hosted by the University of Findlay at the University of Findlay Equine Animal Science Center, Findlay, OH 9:00AM WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, March 30 Zone 2, Region 3 Hunter Seat Regionals Hosted by Skidmore College at the Van Lennep Riding Center, Saratoga Springs, NY Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, April 6 ZONE 2 ZONES at North Shore Equestrian Center, Greenvale, NY Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Friday through Sunday, May 3 - 5 IHSA NATIONALS at Tryon International Equestrian Center, Mill Spring, NC Time each day TBA ENGLISH AND WESTERN

Zone 2, Region 2 and Zone 2, Region 3 show as one region for Western in 2023-24. Show Schedule subject to change.

Recent Region 3 Team Champions (Region 3 created by spinning off eleven schools from Region 2 prior to the 2000-01 season for hunter seat and 2002-03 season for stock seat)

Hunter Seat:

2001 - Skidmore College
2002 - Skidmore College
2003 - Skidmore College
2004 - Skidmore College
2005 - Skidmore College
2006 - Skidmore College
2007 - Skidmore College
2008 - Skidmore College
2009 - Skidmore College
2010 - Skidmore College (2009-10
IHSA Hunter Seat National Champions)
2011 - Skidmore College
2012 - Skidmore College
2013 - Skidmore College (2012-13
IHSA Hunter Seat Co-National Champions)
2014 - Skidmore College
2015 - Skidmore College
2016 - Skidmore College
2017 - Skidmore College
2018 - Skidmore College (2017-18
IHSA Hunter Seat National Champions)
2019 - Skidmore College
2020 - Skidmore College
2022 - Skidmore College
2023 - Skidmore College

Western:

2003 - S.U.N.Y. - Morrisville
2004 - Morrisville State College
2005 - Morrisville State College
2006 - Morrisville State College
2007 - Morrisville State College
2008 - Morrisville State College
2009 - Morrisville State College
2010 - Morrisville State College
2011 - Morrisville State College
2012 - Morrisville State College
2013 - Morrisville State College
2014 - Morrisville State College
2015 - Morrisville State College
2016 - Morrisville State College
2017 - State University of New York at Cobleskill
2018 - State University of New York at Cobleskill
2019 - Morrisville State College
2020 - Morrisville State College
2022 - Morrisville State College
2023 - Morrisville State College

Regional Qualifiers

Open Level Rider Standings

Team Standings

ZONE 2 NEIGHBORS

Region 1 Homepage

Region 2 Homepage

Region 4 Homepage

Region 5 Homepage