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We took this photo of Long Island University - Post's
Julia Bonvino before the start of day two at 2022 IHSA
Nationals. A freshman at the time, we took another
photo of Bonvino with her mother since she won team
intermediate over fences a short time later. On April
5th of this season the senior from Manhassett, Long
Island was second in individual intermediate on the
flat at Zone 2 Zones at the J.W. Ruby Research Center
in Reedsville, West Virginia. Since this meant
another trip to Nationals we thought we would finally
use the 'unused' photo of Bonvino from her big day in
Harrisburg which helped the Sharks place fourth
overall.
If you go to the IHSA official website, IHSAinc.com and
click on the "Join" icon and then the "Find IHSA Teams"
icon the second school that comes up nationwide in
alphabetical order is Adelphi University from Zone 2,
Region 4 (and Adelphi is the first school listed there
with an active IHSA team). This photo of Katelyn Gayson
(on left) and Panthers head coach Laura Masiakos was
taken at the October 19th Sacred Heart/Fairfield show
(as are all but two photos currently on this page).
Adelphi scored 12 points that day, which was not bad
since only two Panthers were entered. A junior from
Mineola, New York, Gayson scored seven of those points
with a second in limit fences and a fifth in limit flat.
There are now eleven schools in Zone 2, Region 4, with
six located on Long Island, two in Connecticut, one in
New Jersey, one in the Borough of Manhattan and one in the
Borough of Brooklyn, New York. The Brooklyn school is
Pratt Institute, whose equestrian team is coached by
Jacobi "Jake" Pittari (on right). The Cannoneers were in
a tie for sixth place with Hofstra through the October
19th Sacred Heart/Faifield show with 58 points each. On
the left is Lauren Morgan, a Pratt senior from
Coatesville, Pennsylvania who was third in both of her
limit classes that day to help the Cannoneers score 21
points at Silvermine Farm.
New York University head coach Ashton Phillips (not
pictured) coaches two Region 4 teams, with one being New
York University. On October 19th the Bobcats finished
third for the day with 29 points. NYU had the top two
riders in the second section of novice equitation, as
freshmen Landon Ortiz (on left, from Poughkeepsie, New
York) and Grace Brooks (on right, from Durham, North
Carolina) placed first and second, respectively. It was
Ortiz's second blue ribbon of the season. The Bobcats
were sitting in third place overall with 78 points headed
into their home show the following weekend.
That NYU home show was actually co-hosted with Phillips'
other team, Princeton University. The Tigers' roster
includes twin sisters Zoe (on left) and Ellie Berman, who
hail from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Berman sisters
are seen here at the Ivy League Invitational hosted by
Cornell University last April 21st, during which Zoe was
second and Ellie third in the same section of limit fences.
There was some decorating at Silvermine Farm when Sacred
Heart University hosted on October 19th as the entrance to
their tack room will attest. Seen here in that entrance is
Kylie Hwalek of the Pioneers, a junior from Vernon,
Connecticut who was the only rider to win twice that day.
Hwalek was high point rider and eight days later was
reserve high point rider at the NYU/Princeton show with a
first and a second. Hwalek was also leading the Region 4
open rider standings as of October 27th. Meanwhile her two
firsts on October 19th helped the 2023-24 IHSA Reserve
National Champion Team score a perfect 49 to move into
first place overall at the time. And on April 5th Hwalek
was very active at Zone 2 Zones, winning team open over
fences to start the day along with seconds in both
individual and team open on the flat. With the Pioneers
placing second at Zones Hwalek will likely ride in those
same divisions May 2nd through 4th at Nationals in Mill
Spring, North Carolina.
But after the November 10th Long Island University show it
was the Sharks who had the lead. The program that was once
known as C.W. Post College and is now properly known as
LIU - Post scored a perfect 49 of their own at the fifth
and final Region 4 fall show. Head coach Brooke Chasin (on
right) is seen here with Madison Frankel of the Sharks
following a first in open flat for the freshman from Roslyn,
New York on October 19th. The Sharks record is 3-and-2
prior to the new year. LIU won by a point over the Pioneers
40-39 at St. Joseph's to kick off the season. Then Sacred
Heart won 37-34 over the Sharks at Stony Brook on October
13th. Then came the 49 score for Sacred Heart, followed by
a 42-41 win for Long Island University over the Pioneers at
NYU/Princeton prior to the 49 at North Shore to give the
Sharks a narrow 202-198 lead headed into the winter break.
Prior to November 10th only Long Island University and
Sacred Heart had been able to make the top two at any of
the fall 2024 Region 4 shows. That changed when Stony
Brook University scored 33 points at North Shore Equestrian
Center in the fall finale to best Sacred Heart with 32
that day. Seen here at the October 8, 2023 St. Joseph's
College show is Sidney Angalet of the Seawolves, a senior
from Glen Cove, New York who was fourth in the Region 4
open rider standings through three shows. While Sacred
Heart may have finished second in the nation at 2024 IHSA
Nationals Stony Brook is the only Zone 2, Region 4 team
ever to win IHSA Nationals. The Seawolves won what is
officially recognized as the first IHSA National
Championship in 1971 and in 1980 tied for high point team
at Nationals with Southern Seminary Junior College.
St. Joseph's College has two campuses, with one in
Brooklyn and one in Patchogue on Long Island. And it is
the latter which has an IHSA Equestrian Team. Coached
by Patricia Watro (on right) and Pam Marsden (on left),
the Golden Eagles scored 14 points on October 19th.
Four of them were earned courtesy of Eustorgio Urbano
(center), a freshman from Hampton Bays, New York who was
third in the first of three sections of introductory
equitation. Prior to Long Island University's current
streak of seven consecutive Region 4 region titles St.
Joseph's won two titles in a row in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Hofstra University head coach Debbie Rittereiser (on
left) is now the Region 4 coach with the longest
tenure in her position, having been at the helm of the
Pride prior to the start of the century. Rittereiser
is seen here with Hofstra show captain
Mikhaela Freitor, a sophomore from Princeton, New
Jersey who was fifth in intermediate fences while
riding "Remi" (center). While Hofstra did not host a
show during the fall the Pride will likely host or
co-host at Sagamore Hills sometime in February or
March of 2025.
Joanna Davis (pictured) was the sixth and final
Molloy University rider to compete at the October
19th Sacred Heart show. A senior from Brooklyn, New
York, Davis was third in the second of three sections
of introductory equitation. On April 5th Davis was
second in the same intro division at Zone 2 Zones in
Reedsville, West Virginia to advance through to 2025
IHSA Nationals.
Very few Region 4 riders had qualified for Regionals
by October 19th, but Kiersten Banas of Fairfield
University managed this feat with a second in her
limit flat class that day. A sophomore from Newtown,
Connecticut, Banas (pictured) ended the day needing
only three points to point out of limit fences. Both
Fairfield and Sacred Heart are back in Region 4 this
season after Zone 1, Region 5 was dissolved over the
summer. Both schools had been in Zone 2, Region 4
from the mid-1990's through the spring of 2010.
Though Sacred Heart has been dominant in recent
seasons it was Fairfield that was a powerhouse within
Region 4 the first time around, winning seven Region
Titles in eleven seasons from 1996 to 2007.
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 Schools
competing in Zone 2, Region 4 during the 2024-2025 school
year: Adelphi University, Fairfield University,
Hofstra University, Long Island University - Post, Molloy
University, New York University, Pratt Institute, Princeton
University, Sacred Heart University, St. Joseph's University
(NY) and Stony Brook University.
Winter/Spring
2025 Show Schedule for Zone 2, Region 4 (Zone 2, Region 4 is currently Hunter Seat or English Only):
 Saturday,
February 22 Sacred Heart University (Host) at Silvermine
Farm, Norwalk, CT 10:00AM
Sunday,
March 2 Pratt Institute (Host) at Jamaica Bay Riding
Academy, Brooklyn, NY 9:00AM
Sunday,
March 9 Entire Region (Co-Hosts) at North Shore Equestrian
Center, Brookville, NY 9:00AM
Sunday,
March 16 Hofstra University (Host) at Sagamore Hills
Stables, Northport, NY 9:30AM
Sunday,
March 30 Zone 2, Region 4 Regionals at North Shore Equestrian
Center, Brookville, NY Time TBA
Saturday,
April 5 ZONE 2 ZONES at the West Virginia University J.W. Ruby Research Farm, also known as
Reedsville Farm, Reedsville, WV Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY
 Friday through Sunday,
May 2 - 4 IHSA NATIONALS at Tryon International Equestrian
Center, Mill Spring, NC Time each day TBA ENGLISH AND WESTERN
Show Schedule subject to change.
Recent Region 4 Team Champions (Most of this region known as Zone 3, Region 1 1992-2005)
1997 - Fairfield University
1998 - S.U.N.Y. - Stony Brook
1999 - Fairfield University
2000 - Fairfield University
2001 - St. Josephs' College
2002 - Fairfield University
2003 - Fairfield University
2004 - Stony Brook University
2005 - Yale University
2006 - Columbia University
2007 - Fairfield University
2008 - New York University
2009 - New York University
2010 - St. Josephs' College
2011 - New York University
2012 - Stony Brook University
2013 - Stony Brook University
2014 - Long Island University - C.W. Post College
2015 - St. Josephs' College
2016 - St. Josephs' College
2017 - Long Island University - Post
2018 - Long Island University - Post
2019 - Long Island University - Post
2020 - Long Island University - Post
2022 - Long Island University - Post
2023 - Long Island University - Post
2024 - Long Island University - Post
2025 - Sacred Heart University
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ZONE
2 NEIGHBORS