Virginia Tech Continues Winning Streak at Wake Forest; Virginia Intermont Fights Back to Win Home Show

ADVANCE, NC — Riders from Zone 4 Region 3 competed in the equestrian equivalent of a double header this week, attending two weekday shows in a 4-day span. Wake Forest was originally scheduled to host their show at Riverpoint Farm on February 18th, but wintry weather forced management to postpone the competition until Monday, March 24, just a few days before the Virginia Intermont show on Thursday, March 27.

The Virginia Tech team came into the Wake Forest show with high hopes after picking up their first team victory of the season at North Carolina State in February, and a clinic with judge and trainer Jon Conyers the previous weekend had given them the fine-tuning they needed to continue their success. And the Hokies did just that, dominating the show from the start and holding their lead throughout the day. Of their 17 rides, Tech brought home 6 blue ribbons, with 11 riders in primary colors, as well as two tri-colored ribbons for High Point Team and High Point Rider.

North Carolina State picked up the first blue ribbon of the day when Lissa Cannady won Section A of Open Fences, but the Hokies answered back when Katie Schlesinger of Virginia Tech laid down a winning trip in Section B, taking top honors in the class as well as qualifying for Regionals, with Virginia Intermont superstar Angee Quattro in second. The Intermediate Fences division was dominated by Tech riders as well, with Britni Johns and Mara Sullivan winning sections A and B respectively. Johns picked up the final point necessary to qualify for Regionals, while Sullivan was competing in the Intermediate division for the first time after pointing out of Novice Fences at NCSU. Both girls will be joining Schlesinger at St. Andrew's next Thursday.

Victories were scattered in the Novice Fences division, with Chapel Hill’s Brooke Mendenhall winning Section A over Duke’s Claire Hawthorne, and ASU’s Erin Fiore taking the blue in Section B over St. Andrew’s Sam Wheland. Chapel Hill picked up another win in Section C, this time with Katie Hall in the irons.

Going into the flat classes, Tech had a significant lead over the rest of the schools. Angee Quattro put Virginia Intermont back on the board by winning Section A of Open Flat, with SAPC’s Angela McFawn taking the blue in Section B. The Hokies answered back in Section C, when Katie Schlesinger picked up her second win of the day over Intermont’s Erika Jewell. Crystal Harris was awarded top honors in Section A of Intermediate Flat, Eastern Carolina’s first win of the day, followed by another Tech victory when junior Alicia Salo dominated her section for the blue. Victories in Novice Flat were also scattered, with riders from Intermont, WCU, St. Andrews, and Duke picking up wins in the four sections.

After the conclusion of Novice, the High Point and Reserve High Point riders were determined. A three-way tie for Reserve was resolved through theory questions rather than a ride-off in an effort to preserve the horses. Angee Quattro of Virginia Intermont gave the most thorough answer, winning Reserve High Point honors. With only one rider earning double blues throughout the day, the decisive and deserving High Point Rider was Katie Schlesinger of Virginia Tech. Schlesinger, a sophomore Animal Science major, had never experienced the honor of High Point Rider, and was thrilled with her performance. “It was a freak accident!” she told her teammates jokingly; “I guess all the stars were in perfect alignment!” All joking aside, it is obvious that more than astrological cooperation contributed to Schlesinger’s success, seeing as how she has been one of Tech’s most consistent riders throughout the season. Schlesinger is qualified for both Open Fences and Flat, and will be representing the Hokies at Regionals next week.

Virginia Intermont closed the gap with double victories in Advanced Walk Trot Canter, with Liz Kilby and Kristina Frazier winning Sections A and C respectively. Chapel Hill’s Natalie Russel picked up the blue in Section B. Virginia Tech’s Bill Watkins was victorious in Beginning Walk Trot Canter, accruing enough points to move up to the Advanced sections and contributing 7 points to the team’s total. Intermont’s Hollie Marino won Section A of Walk Trot, with Wake Forest’s Holly Burt winning the final blue in Section B.

When the final results were tabulated, Virginia Tech was the clear winner with 43 points, the Hokies’ best performance of the season. Virginia Intermont was the Reserve High Point Team with 39 points, with St. Andrews only two points behind in 3rd.

BRISTOL, VA - Everyone loves to show at Virginia Intermont, with their beautiful facilities, wonderful horses, and much coveted “beer mug” prizes with their blue ribbons. But for the other schools in Zone 4 Region 3, we can’t help but ask: Why make the beer mugs if you don’t plan to give anyone else a chance to take them home?

Virginia Intermont hosted the region’s final show of the season on Thursday, March 27th, and they were untouchable from start to finish. After a year of holding a substantial lead over the other 11 schools, the home team had the final say when they dominated their own show under coaching phenomenon Eddie Federwisch to not only hold, but expand their lead to prove yet again that they are and always will be a force to be reckoned with. Should the ladies of Intermont choose to celebrate their victory, they could serve a small army with all of their hard-earned glass goblets.

The Intermont Open division consisted of three girls on a mission, and no one else got a word in edgewise in the Open Fences division. The dynamic trio of Erika Jewell, Angee Quattro, and Roma Strayhorn took home the blues in Sections A, B, and C respectively, starting out the day with a bang.

Intermediate Fences began with another Intermont victory when Morgan Graber won Section A. St. Andrews’ Frank Bria finished off a stellar season with a blue ribbon ride in Section B, with Virginia Tech’s Alicia Salo winning Section C, her first class as an Intermediate Fences rider.

In the Novice Fences division, VI picked up two blues and a red to continue their winning ways. Jerri Hawk, a consistent winner throughout the season, laid out another lovely trip for the win in Section A. McClure Jackson, another Intermont rider, took home the red ribbon in Section B behind St. Andrews’ Jessee Grayton. Stephanie Wood finished off the jumping classes with another blue ribbon for the home team.

The first two sections of Open Flat resulted in still more blue for Intermont, with Jewell (pictured) dominating Section A to seal her spot as the Zone 4 Region 3 Cacchione rider for 2002-03 and putting her in the running for High Point Rider of the day. VI’s Brittany Harpool took the blue in Section B, while St. Andrews’ Howard Morrison and East Carolina’s Kristin Termini each picked up a win for their team in Sections C and D respectively.

Brittany Biddy put North Carolina - Chapel Hill on the map, winning Section A of Intermediate Flat over VI’s Jen Tabisz. VT’s Alicia Salo, proving to be the Hokies’ most consistent rider of the day, picked up a second blue in Section B and joined Jewell in the running for High Point Rider. Lauren Bertram took top honors in Section C, the start of a 7-class winning streak for St. Andrews.

Peggy McElveen’s team won five straight novice flat classes to close the gap, with Jency Bennitt, Julie Rosselot, Rebecca Vanderhoff, Katie Butterworth, and Jessee Grayton all picking up blues. Grayton, having won her Novice Fences class earlier in the day, added herself to the list of “double blues” contending for High Point Rider.

Once again, the coaches chose to save horses by using a question to determine the High Point Rider. The judge asked each of the three riders first to determine how many strides were in a 48-foot line, and then to name three types of bits and explain their function. Jewell gave the most accurate and thorough answer, claiming yet another tricolor title. With her impeccable form and enviable eye, Jewell has emerged as the region’s most consistent rider, and will be representing Virginia Intermont in Open Flat and Fences at Regionals next week, as well as representing the region at Nationals in the Cacchione Cup Competition in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on May 3rd. VT’s Alicia Salo was awarded the Reserve High Point ribbon, her first time receiving such an honor. Salo has proven to be a great asset to the Hokies, having qualified for Regionals in both sections of the Novice division, and well on her way to pointing out of Intermediate Flat in the fall.

At this point in the day, the Virginia Intermont team announced another prestigious award to be given out. Team members had voted on a region-wide Sportsmanship Award to be given to the team displaying the best attitude and team spirit throughout the season. Votes were split down the middle, determining that two teams are to share the honor: Virginia Tech and St. Andrews. Virginia Tech will take home the beautiful engraved trophy for the first half of the year, while St. Andrews will have it for the remainder.

Katie DeLucas was named winner of the first section of Advanced Walk Trot Canter, the 7th St. Andrews rider in a row to win their class. Chapel Hill’s Oni Seliski spoke up to end the wining streak, picking up the blue in Section B. Kelly Zeytoonian, a freshman at Virginia Tech in her first semester of showing, made her record 2 for 3, winning her second IHSA blue ribbon and earning Tech 7 points for an excellent ride in Section C. Jennifer Benoit reminded everyone that we had not yet seen the last of Virginia Intermont by winning section D for the home team, while St. Andrews’ Sarah Rhymer took top honors in Section D.

Virginia Intermont’s Alison Hewlett made sure that yet another mug stayed on the premises by winning her section of Beginning Walk Trot Canter. St. Andrews grabbed the final blue of the day when Emily Goulet won the Walk Trot division, with Scott Wilson, a recent addition to the Virginia Tech team, finishing second to end the day.

When the points were totaled, no one was surprised to see Virginia Intermont at the top of the standings with 43 points. St. Andrews, putting in an excellent performance, took Reserve High Point Team honors for the day and for the season. Virginia Tech was 3rd with 33 points, leaving them in 3rd place for the final standings. After a competitive, exciting season of great riding and good sportsmanship, all schools are looking ahead with high hopes to next week’s Regionals at St. Andrews. If Thursday’s events are anything like the rest of the season has been, some very talented riders will have a lot to celebrate.

--Emily Gold