Grand Valley State University was the host school for the first Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) hunt seat show on Oct. 4. After a full day of battling rain and mud, the Albion riders wound up winning third place out of the total 11 teams.
Two riders captured enough points to officially qualify them to compete at the Regional Championships, which will be held at the end of the regular season. Sophomore Megan Brown won first place in the walk/trot division, pointing her up to the next level and qualifying her for Regionals. Junior Paige Beliveau won third place in both novice over fences and intermediate flat. She will compete in novice over fences at Regionals and move up to the next levels as well.
Other notable finishes include first place wins by Sienna Mendina (intermediate over fences), Jackson Regen (intermediate flat), and Natalya DiCiacca (advanced walk/trot/canter). Senior Meredith Michalec and junior Melanie Fodera (intermediate flat and walk/trot, respectively) brought home second place ribbons. And team co-captain Claire Tillman won third place in both novice over fences and intermediate flat.
Coach Randi Gardner was proud to receive the new Regional Championship perpetual trophy at this first show. The hunt seat team is the reigning Regional Champs from the 2013-14 school year and thus is the first school name engraved on the trophy.