The Dartmouth Equestrian Team with coach Sally Batton had a successful weekend as the final competition of the season and regionals got underway to determine each teams and individuals season rankings, winning second at the University of Vermont on Saturday and third for the season at Dartmouth's Morton Farm on Sunday at the Intercollegiate Regional competition.
At the final show before the regionals, Dartmouth beat seven teams and was second only to UVM's team, who had the "home-court" advantage of riding familiar horses. First-place winners included Larissa Belova '02 in walk/trot and Erin McCarthy '02 in novice fences. Second place winners were Annie Trumpold '05 in walk/trot/canter, Sara Irom '02 and Maren Winnick '02 in open flat and Caroline Pott '02 in novice fences.
Riders compete in one of five divisions: walk/trot, walk/trot/canter, novice, intermediate and open. While all include a flat component, the latter three divisions additionally offer competitors a chance to qualify over fences for post-season competitions. In their respective divisions, riders qualifiy for post-season competition by earning a certain number of points throughout the show season. Dartmouth riders Rebecca Freeman '02, Ashley McCaughan '04, Pott, Irom, Sara Glazer '04, Lindsay Clayton '04, Elizabeth Shim '01, Belova, Trumpold, and Julia Hoover '02 competed Sunday in Regionals.
At this competition, Dartmouth won third place for the season behind UVM and Colby-Sawyer, schools well-known for their strong equestrian programs. Winnick placed seventh in the Cacchione Cup by earning the seventh highest season score in the highest division of competition. This earned her a spot in the Challenge Cup class, in which she won second place. Individual first place winners Hoover in intermediate fences and Larissa Belova '02 in walk/trot, as well as by second place winners Glazer in intermediate fences/ intermediate flat and Freeman in walk/trot, qualified to compete next week at the Intercollegiate Zones Competition hosted by Stoneleigh Burnam, though Dartmouth has never before sent more than two riders to this competition.
