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Previously known as C.W. Post College and Long Island
University - C.W. Post College but now known as Long
Island University - Post, the school located in
Brookville, New York captured their ninth Region Title
in 2025-26. The Sharks narrowly edged out Sacred
Heart 334-332 to end the Pioneer's run of runner-up
showings in the IHSA Nationals team competiton.
LIU-Post was second to Skidmore at Zone 2 Zones on
April 4th to secure a place in the IHSA Nationals team
competition. And on April 4th Janina Dubicki of the
Sharks was also second in individual limit flat at
Zones to reach Nationals individually. Dubicki (on
left) and assistant coach Mackenzie Ashe are seen here
at Nationals in Mill Spring, North Carolina on May 1st
in front of the monitors which broadcast the English
and Western internet feeds of the show. From Glen Cove,
New York, Dubicki closed out her sophomore year with a
sixth in the individual limit flat later that day.
Seen here with her Mother at the Sacred Heart/Fairfield
show on October 18, 2025 Kylie Hwalek of Sacred Heart
University (on right) played a large part in the
Pioneers' back-to-back Reserve National Championship
showings in 2024 and 2025. From Vernon, Connecticut,
Hwalek was one of two Sacred Heart riders to
compete at 2026 IHSA Nationals. Riding in the first
class held at '26 Nationals, Hwalek closed out her
time riding for the Pioneers with a sixth in individual
open over fences on May 1st.
Even though 2026 IHSA Nationals were held within the Tryon
International Equestrian Center indoor there was a tent
with a roof set up within the building. Located
between the English arena and the Western arena, this
tent is where riders who placed inside the top ten were
escorted to fill out their thank-you notes for the
sponsors. And seen here inside this tent after filling
out a few thank-yous is Jenna Choinski of Long Island
University - Post. A freshman from Marlton, New Jersey,
Choinski holds up a red ribbon won in team novice
equitation on May 2nd. This tied teammate Lola Saunders
for the Shark's best team ribbon at '26 Nationals
(Saunders was second in team limit over fences earlier
that day). LIU-Post scored 23 points for sixth place
(Editor's Note: The remaining photos on this page were
posted prior to the end of the 2025-26 Regular Season.
As a result the outcome of the team standings was not
yet known when the photo captions were written).
From Villanova, Pennsylvania, Fairfield University
sophomore Emma Spence-Bowen is seen here in the office
at Silvermine Farm after winning her limit flat class
on October 18th. Spence-Bowen said she needed two more
flat points to go to Regionals. With a first and a
third that day Spence-Bowen was part of a three-way
question-off for reserve high point rider. The Stags
are comfortably in third place within Region 4 headed
into the winter break.
The Holiday Tournament of Champions was hosted by
Centenary University in Long Valley, New Jersey on
December 6th and eight of the top ten teams from 2025
IHSA Nationals had a full team entered including
Sacred Heart University. The Pioneers, the runner-up
at each of the past two IHSA Nationals events, rallied
to take fifth place thanks to a blue ribbon for novice
rider Olivia Dolan (on right) in the final team class.
First-year head coach Hanna Lloyd (on left, herself a
former Sacred Heart rider class of '23) poses with the
sophomore from Westfield, Massachusetts whose novice
win moved the Pioneers into a tie with St. Lawrence
University at 27 each (St. Lawrence won the tiebreaker).
The Pioneers find themselves in second place in the
competitive Region 4 after five fall shows.
Turning our attention from the two Connecticut-based
schools to those in the Empire State Laney Hawkins of
New York University sits in a "Violets" chair as this
is the school's nickname. This was also on October
18th, and the senior from Hilton Head, South Carolina
was fourth in limit over fences that day to qualify
for Regionals in the division. NYU holds fourth place
through the fall, nine points ahead of Stony Brook.
There are IHSA programs at the moment that can claim
to have had three head coaches in the past three
seasons. Stony Brook University can claim that Trish
Watro (on left) is only the third head coach the
Seawolves' program has had since the 1960's! George
Lukemire was the first, Myrna Treuting the second and
starting in the fall of '25 Watro. On the right is
Danika Riley of Stony Brook, a freshman from Woodbury,
New York who holds her first-ever IHSA blue ribbon
after winning the second section of pre-novice on
October 18th. Riley explained that there are two
"Woodburys" in New York State, with one on Long
Island and the other in Orange County, New York.
Though Stony Brook University is in Suffolk County,
Long Island Riley is from the Woodbury in Orange
County. That Woodbury is known for a group of outlet
stores under the name "Woodbury Commons" (and Riley
has even worked there prior to enrolling at Stony
Brook).
Kaitlyn McVeigh of Pratt Institute (on left, with head
coach Jake Pittari) managed to qualify for Regionals
not once but twice on October 18th. The junior from
San Diego, California was third in limit fences and a
a short time later fourth in limit flat. Each
ride added enough points that McVeigh will be riding
in the intermediate divisions for the rest of the
regular season. Pratt Institute is only two points
behind Stony Brook and eleven behind New York
University headed into 2026.
When we last updated our Region 4 photos Katelyn
Gayson of Adelphi University was on this page after
having earned seven of the schools' twelve points at
last fall's Sacred Heart show. This time a new member
of the Gayson family appears. She is Allison Gayson
(pictured), a freshman from Mineola, Long Island who
is seen here after winning her pre-novice class on
October 18th (another show hosted by Sacred Heart).
At this point Allison Gayson was undefeated in two
pre-novice rides. Adelphia University is one of
seven teams in triple digits, going into the break
with 104 points.
With 97 points St. Joseph's University of Patchogue
is very close to triple digits. Coach Pam Marsden
(on left) poses with Colleen Brennan, who is another
rider to win her first IHSA blue ribbon at the
October 18th Sacred Heart show. A freshman from
Centereach, Long Island, Brennan won the first of
three sections of introductory equitation.
Her picture was on the previous Region 4 page.
This is a more recent photo of Mikhaela Freitor of
Hofstra University, taken at that same October 18th
show. A junior from Princeton, New Jersey, Freitor
was second in intermediate fences that day and was
the only Hofstra rider entered competing above the
limit level. Freitor was also fifth in
intermediate fences to earn seven of Hofstra's 19
points that day.
Molloy University had a rider qualified for
Regionals before the October 18th Sacred Heart show.
Riley Alexander (pictured), a junior from Islip,
Long Island, qualified for Regionals at the
October 5th St. Joseph's show in novice equitation.
Molloy has been very consistant, earning nine points
at three of the fall shows and ten points at each of
the other two.
From Farmingdale, Long Island, Saige Hinch of Long
Island University is seen here after winning her
novice equitation class on October 18th. The Sharks
junior thought she pointed out of the division with
the blue ribbon. Hinch was the eighth of nine LIU
riders to win a class that day. The Sharks won at
Sacred Heart by a 47-40 margin over the hosts and
lead the region by nine points overall 210-201
though it is not yet clear how many more Region 4
regular season shows will take place in early 2026.
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 Schools
which competed in Zone 2, Region 4 during the 2025-2026 school
year: Adelphi University, Fairfield University,
Hofstra University, Long Island University - Post, Molloy
University, New York University, Pratt Institute, Sacred
Heart University, St. Joseph's University (NY) and Stony
Brook University.
Fall
2026 Show Schedule for Zone 2, Region 4 (Zone 2, Region 4 is currently Hunter Seat or English Only):
 Sunday,
October 4 St. Josephs' College (Host) at Good Shepherd
Farm, Yaphank, NY Time TBA
Sunday,
October 11 Stony Brook University (Host) at Good Shepherd
Farm, Yaphank, NY Time TBA
Saturday,
October 17 Sacred Heart University/Fairfield University (Co-Hosts) at Silvermine
Farm, Norwalk, CT Time TBA
Sunday,
October 25 New York University/Princeton University (Co-Hosts) at Sagamore Hills
Stables, Northport, NY Time TBA
Sunday,
November 1 Molloy University (Host) at Thomas School of
Horsemanship, Melville, NY Time TBA
Sunday,
November 8 Long Island University - Post (Host) at North Shore Equestrian
Center, Brookville, NY Time TBA
Show Schedule subject to change.
Recent Region 4 Team Champions (Most of this region known as Zone 3, Region 1 1992-2005. Fairfield and Sacred Heart were in another Region 2010-2024)
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
2026 - Long Island University - Post
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ZONE
2 NEIGHBORS