Campus Equestrian: Zone 5, Region 1 Home Page

IHSA ZONE 5 - REGION 1

The University of the South won all four of the Region 1 fall hunter seat shows in 2024-25 and one of the reasons for this was the strong performances of freshman Bella Janovsky (on left). From Williamsburg, Virginia, Janovsky won three of her intermediate classes while placing second in four others. Head coach Aelin Hill (on right, herself a 2019 graduate of Sewanee) has the Tigers up on Maryville College by a 144-112 margin headed into a pair of shows hosted by Middle Tennessee State University on February 8th and 9th.

For the first time since well before the pandemic the University of the South competed in a Tournament of Champions invitational event. Sewanee was one of 15 schools entered at the Holiday Tournament of Champions in Blacksburg, Virginia on December 7th. One of the six Tigers entered that day was Abdul Maflahi (pictured), a junior from Homewood, Alabama who only found out three days earlier that he would be substituting for another rider in the introductory equitation division. Maflahi made the most of the opportunity, placing third which made him one of two Tigers to earn what was their top ribbon that day.

Seen here in the stands at the Tryon International Equestrian Center indoor with head coach Megan Grimsby, Emma Neal of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (on right) was the first Zone 5, Region 1 hunter seat rider to compete at 2024 IHSA Nationals on May 3rd. A junior from Hickory, North Carolina, Neal was previously second in individual intermediate on the flat at Zone 5 Zones on April 6th to qualify for Nationals. Neal concluded her 2023-24 season with a fourth in the division that day.

In the very next hunter seat class held at Nationals Alyssa Davis of Middle Tennessee State University (pictured) equalled Neal by placing fourth in individual limit flat. A junior from Florence, Alabama, Davis coincidentally had been second in her Zones flat class to advance to Tryon on May 3rd. While the MTSU Western Team repeated as National Champions Davis was the lone member of the Blue Raiders' hunter seat team to qualify for the year-end event.

Josie Spratt of Murray State University (pictured) had to wait until the last class of the day on May 4th to make an appearance at 2024 IHSA Nationals. Formerly a member of the Black Hawk College team (including a fifth in team open reining to help the school win the 2022 IHSA Nationals Western Team Competition) the senior from Purcell, Oklahoma placed sixth in individual open reining. Previously Spratt won the very first class held at the Murfreesboro, Tennessee Semifinal on March 23rd, finishing ahead of "The Jordans" better known as Jordan Martin of Middle Tennessee State and Jordan Schauer of Midway University who went on to finish first and second, respectively in the indvidual western high point open rider compettion at '24 Nationals. On May 4th Spratt finished between the Jordans, with Schauer fifth and Martin eighth when the results were announced at 6:00PM on the dot.

The University of the South claimed the Region 1 hunter seat team title in 2023-24 and Emma Sameth represented the Tigers at IHSA Nationals. A freshman from Pottersville, New Jersey, Sameth already had her spurs on a good four hours before competing in the individual open on the flat in Mill Spring, North Carolina on May 3rd. Previously a second place winner in the division at Zones on April 6th Sameth finished her first IHSA season by placing eighth at Nationals in individual open flat. And through four fall shows in 2024-25 Sameth was leading the Region 1 hunter seat open rider standings (and was third in open flat at the December 7th Tournament of Champions event to equal teammate Maflahi's yellow ribbon).

Mallory Ritzman of Murray State University (center) posed between her Father and Grandmother around the time she competed in individual rookie western horsemanship at IHSA Nationals on May 4th. A senior from Elkhorn, Wisconsin, Ritzman placed third in the division at the Murfreesboro semifinal to reach Nationals. The Racers are the most recent Region 1 team other than MTSU to win a western region title, having kept the Blue Raiders from the top spot during the 2018-19 season.

Middle Tennessee State University has now won five consecutive western region titles (Zone 5, Region 1 is one of only four regions which held a 2020-21 season - Editor) and 18 western titles since the 2002-03 season. The Blue Raiders repeated as IHSA Nationals western high point team but ironically this photo is of individual rookie western horsemanship runner-up Regan Black. A junior from Lebanon, Tennessee, Black was also second in the individual rookie at Semifinals on March 23rd. MTSU had the very rare honor of having a rider in every Western Team Class, every Western Individual Class and the individual High Point Open Rider division at 2024 IHSA Nationals. And all seven individual rides resulted in top ten ribbons!

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The Zone 5, Region 1 Smorgasbord

Schools competing in Zone 5, Region 1 during the 2024-2025 school year: Arkansas State University, Maryville College, Middle Tennessee State University, Murray State University, Rhodes College, Tennessee Tech University, University of the South, University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Western Kentucky University.

Winter/Spring 2025 Show Schedule for Zone 5, Region 1

Saturday, February 1 Tennessee Tech University (Host) at Hyder-Burks Agricultural Pavillion, Cookeville, TN 2:00PM (CENTRAL TIME) WESTERN ONLY

Sunday, February 2 Tennessee Tech University (Host) at Hyder-Burks Agricultural Pavillion, Cookeville, TN 10:00AM (CENTRAL TIME) WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, February 8 Middle Tennessee State University (Host) at Tennessee Miller Coliseum, Murfreesboro, TN 10:00AM (CENTRAL TIME) ENGLISH ONLY

Sunday, February 9 Middle Tennessee State University (Host) at Tennessee Miller Coliseum, Murfreesboro, TN 10:00AM (CENTRAL TIME) ENGLISH ONLY

Friday, February 14 Middle Tennessee State University (Host) at Tennessee Miller Coliseum, Murfreesboro, TN 1:00PM (CENTRAL TIME) WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, February 15 Middle Tennessee State University (Host) at Tennessee Miller Coliseum, Murfreesboro, TN 10:00AM (CENTRAL TIME) WESTERN ONLY

Sunday, February 16 Zone 5, Region 1 Western Regionals Hosted by Middle Tennessee State University at Tennessee Miller Coliseum, Murfreesboro, TN Time TBA WESTERN ONLY

Friday, February 28 University of the South (Host) on campus at the Howell Equestrian Center, Sewanee, TN 2:00PM (EASTERN TIME) ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, March 1 University of the South (Host) on campus at the Howell Equestrian Center, Sewanee, TN 10:00AM (EASTERN TIME) ENGLISH ONLY

Sunday, March 2 Zone 5, Region 1 Hunter Seat Regionals hosted by the University of the South on campus at the Howell Equestrian Center, Sewanee, TN Time TBA ENGLISH ONLY

Saturday, March 15 WESTERN SEMIFINALS - DAY 1 Hosted by Black Hawk College at the Black Hawk College East Campus Ag Arena, Galva, IL 9:00AM WESTERN ONLY

Sunday, March 16 WESTERN SEMIFINALS - DAY 2 Hosted by Black Hawk College at the Black Hawk College East Campus Ag Arena, Galva, IL 9:00AM WESTERN ONLY

Saturday, April 5 ZONE 5 ZONES Hosted by Savannah College of Art and Design at the Ronald C. Waranch Equestrian Center, Hardeeville, SC 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

All times listed are local time. Show Schedule subject to change.

Recent Region 1 Team Champions

Hunter Seat:

1997 - University of the South
1998 - University of the South
1999 - University of the South
2000 - University of the South
2001 - University of the South
2002 - University of Kentucky
2003 - University of the South
2004 - University of the South
2005 - University of the South
2006 - Maryville College
2007 - University of the South
2008 - Vanderbilt University
2009 - Murray State University
2010 - University of the South
2011 - University of the South
2012 - University of the South
2013 - Vanderbilt University
2014 - Middle Tennessee State University
2015 - Vanderbilt University
2016 - Vanderbilt University
2017 - Vanderbilt University
2018 - Vanderbilt University
2019 - Vanderbilt University
2020 - Middle Tennessee State University
2021 - Murray State University
2022 - University of the South
2023 - Maryville College
2024 - University of the South
2025 - University of the South

Western:

1997 - Morehead State University
1998 - Tennessee Tech University
1999 - Midway College
2000 - University of the South
2001 - Midway College
2002 - Midway College
2003 - Middle Tennessee State University
2004 - Middle Tennessee State University
2005 - Middle Tennessee State University
2006 - Middle Tennessee State University
2007 - Middle Tennessee State University
2008 - Murray State University
2009 - Murray State University
2010 - Middle Tennessee State University
2011 - Murray State University
2012 - Middle Tennessee State University
2013 - Middle Tennessee State University
2014 - Middle Tennessee State University
2015 - Middle Tennessee State University
2016 - Middle Tennessee State University
2017 - Middle Tennessee State University
2018 - Middle Tennessee State University
2019 - Murray State University
2020 - Middle Tennessee State University
2021 - Middle Tennessee State University
2022 - Middle Tennessee State University
2023 - Middle Tennessee State University (2022-23
IHSA Western National Champions)
2024 - Middle Tennessee State University (2023-24
IHSA Western National Champions)
2025 - Middle Tennessee State University

Regional Qualifiers

Open Level Rider Standings

Team Standings

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