Campus Equestrian: Zone 3, Region 1 Home Page

IHSA ZONE 3 - REGION 1

There are four different IHSA teams whose names' start with "Penn State University." The main Penn State campus in State College, Pennsylvania captured yet another Region 1 Region Title in 2024-25. Kristin Gretok (on left) has now been the Nittany Lions' head coach for over a decade and has yet to be beaten for a hunter seat region title. Twelve Penn State hunter seat riders qualified for Regionals this season, the most of any Zone 3, Region 1 team. One of them was Isabella Catto (on right), a junior from Montville, New Jersey who placed fifth in individual limit flat on March 23rd. Two weeks later at Zones Catto was second in team intermediate over fences. The Nittany Lions just missed out on sending a full hunter seat team to Nationals, falling only two points shy of second place during Zones on April 5th.

Penn State University's main campus also has a Western team and it is coached by Chris McElyea (on right). McElyea is seen here at IHSA Nationals last May 5th with Natalie Totten. A junior from Chester, New Jersey, Totten rode twice at the Semifinal event in Logan Township, New Jersey March 15th and 16th. On the 15th Totten was second in individual ranch riding and on the 16th she was fourth in individual open western horsemanship. Thus Totten earned two individual rides at IHSA Nationals which will once again be held at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina May 2nd through 4th.

Tess Hairston of Wilson College (pictured) qualified through to Zones in both intermediate divisions in only her freshman year. Hairston knew a thing or two about the IHSA before enrolling at the Chambersburg, Pennsylvania school. Hairston trained under long-time Stony Brook University head coach Myrna Treuting, also schooling horses for her at Zone 2, Region 4 horse shows held at Olde Towne Equestrian Center in her hometown of Selden, New York. At Zones Hairston was fifth in individual intermediate over fences and sixth in individual intermediate on the flat.

Dickinson College just missed out on second place in the Region 1 hunter seat team standings, finishing two points behind Wilson College. Dickinson head coach Lindsay Vulich (on left) is seen here with Allison Maurice, a senior from Kittery, Maine who had just won her novice equitation class when this photo was taken at Duncraven Farm on November 13, 2022. One of six Dickinson riders to qualify for 2025 Regionals, Maurice was eighth in individual limit flat on March 23rd to close out her four years at the Carlisle, Pennsylvania school.

Wilson College was third in the Zone 3 Western Team Standings (hunter seat regions 1, 4 and 5 ride as one big region for Western). And the Phoenix had the fourth-best open rider in Julie Warnick (on right). A junior from New Oxford, Pennsylvania, Warnick is seen here with Western coach Kailey Van de Camp, who competed for the Middle Tennessee State University IHSA team in the late teens. Warnick was the only Wilson western rider to advance through Regionals to Semifinals, doing so in the open reining division.

Jedily Alvarado (pictured) of Penn State University's main campus finished third in the Region 1 hunter seat open rider standings. From Los Angeles, California, Alvarado finished her junior year with a fourth in individual open flat at Regionals on March 23rd.

When Wilson hosted this past October 26th Madison Slater (on left) filled in for Susquehanna University head coach Mackenzie Appleman. And Slater is seen here with another Region 1 rider who trains with an IHSA coach from another region. She is Jessica Viola, a River Hawks senior from Easton, Pennsylvania who trains with Lafayette College head coach Kelly Poff when school is not in session. Viola (who won her open flat and placed third in open fences on October 26th) finished fourth overall in the Region 1 hunter seat open rider standings three points behind Alverado.

Three of the six Dickinson College riders to qualify for Regionals advanced through to Zones including Maye Stichter (on right). A junior from Easton, Connecticut (there may be even more Eastons in other states!), Stichter won the individual limit flat class made up of nine riders at Regionals on March 23rd. At Zones Stichter closed out her season with a fourth in the division at the Centenary University Equestrian Center in Long Valley, New Jersey on April 5th. Coach Vulich (on left) also saw Sage Wolf place eighth in individual intermediate on the flat and Hazel Lenoir place fourth in individual intermediate over fences that day. Though Zones were at Centenary it should be noted that Region 1 was the host region for 2025 Zones 3 Zones, and as has been the case for some time Region 1 opted to hold the show at the Region 3 facility.

For the first time since 2012 Zone 3 hosted a Semifinal event. After having hosted at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington, Delaware in '12 the site in '25 was the Gloucester County Dream Park in Logan Township, New Jersey roughly ten miles from the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Penn State coach McElyea (on left) had seven riders entered at the Semifinal and four of them are headed to Nationals including Lucinda Naples (on right). A junior from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Naples was one of eight riders called back from two heats and placed third in individual Level I Western Horsemanship on March 16th to join teammates Totten, Jamie Batey (in beginner western) and Taylor Brustman (in rookie western) at Nationals in Mill Spring, North Carolina the first weekend in May.

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The Zone 3, Region 1 Smorgasbord

Schools which competed in Zone 3, Region 1 during the 2024-2025 school year: Bucknell University, Dickinson College, Gettysburg College, Juniata College, Penn State University (State College), Penn State University - Altoona Campus, Shippensburg University, Susquehanna University and Wilson College.

Fall 2025 Show Schedule for Zone 3, Region 1:

Saturday, October 4 Penn State University (Host) at the Grier School, Birmingham, PA Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Sunday, October 5 Penn State University (Host) at the Grier School, Birmingham, PA Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, October 25 Wilson College (Host) on campus at the Hawthorne Riding Arena at the Penn Hall Equestrian Center, Chambersburg, PA Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, November 1 Wilson College (Host) on campus at the Hawthorne Riding Arena at the Penn Hall Equestrian Center, Chambersburg, PA Time TBA 2 WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, November 8 Dickinson College (Host) at Brookside Show Stable, Ringoes, NJ Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, November 8 University of Delaware (Host) at the Dream Park, Logan Township, NJ Time TBA WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, November 8 Kutztown University (Host) at the Dream Park, Logan Township, NJ HELD FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE SHOW - WESTERN ONLY

Sunday, November 9 Susquehanna University/Bucknell University (Co-Hosts) at Brookside Show Stable, Ringoes, NJ Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, November 15 Delaware Valley University (Host) at Saddlebrook Equestrian Center, Schwenksville, PA Time TBA 2 WESTERN ONLY

Schools in each Zone 3 Hunter Seat Region will show Western as part of one big region again in 2025-26. Show Schedule subject to change.

Recent Region 1 Team Champions (The current hunter seat version of Zone 3, Region 1 was created from parts of Zone 3, Region 2, Zone 3, Region 3 and Zone 3, Region 4 following the 2004-05 season):

Hunter Seat:

2006 - Penn State University (State College)
2007 - Penn State University (State College)
2008 - Penn State University (State College)
2009 - Penn State University (State College)
2010 - Penn State University (State College)
2011 - Penn State University (State College)
2012 - Penn State University (State College)
2013 - Penn State University (State College)
2014 - Penn State University (State College)
2015 - Penn State University (State College)
2016 - Penn State University (State College)
2017 - Penn State University (State College)
2018 - Penn State University (State College)
2019 - Penn State University (State College)
2020 - Penn State University (State College)
2022 - Penn State University (State College)
2023 - Penn State University (State College)
2024 - Penn State University (State College)
2025 - Penn State University (State College)

Western:

1999 - Kutztown University
2000 - Kutztown University
2001 - University of Delaware
2002 - Rutgers University
2003 - Bucks County Community College
2004 - Bucks County Community College
2005 - Delaware Valley College
2006 - Delaware Valley College
2007 - Delaware Valley College
2008 - Delaware Valley College
2009 - Washington College
2010 - University of Delaware
2011 - University of Delaware
2012 - University of Delaware
2013 - Delaware Valley College
2014 - Delaware Valley College
2015 - Delaware Valley College
2016 - Delaware Valley University
2017 - Delaware Valley University
2018 - Delaware Valley University
2019 - Penn State University (State College)
2020 - University of Delaware
2022 - Delaware Valley University
2023 - Delaware Valley University
2024 - Penn State University (State College)
2025 - Delaware Valley University

Regional Qualifiers

Open Level Rider Standings

Team Standings

ZONE 3 NEIGHBORS

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Region 3 Homepage

Region 4 Homepage

Region 5 Homepage