LAURINBURG, N.C. – The Sweet Briar IHSA team won the Zone 4 Reserve Championship yesterday, April 9, after securing 34 points at the St. Andrews University Equestrian Center. The team has qualified for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Nationals that will be held in Pennsylvania in early May.
Beating out Goucher, St. Andrews and Washington and Lee, the Vixens saw great success in the team competition with sophomore
Emmy Longest finishing first in team open flat. Sophomore
Sarah Southard (Culpeper, Va.) and first-years
Julianna McIntyre (Englewood, Fla.) and
Marran Vansickle (Powhatan, Va.) all earned second-place finishes in novice, intro and team limit fences, respectively.
Sweet Briar had four additional top-5 performances from junior
Sita Moses (Dublin, N.H.) and sophomores
Paige Kennedy (Purcellville, Va.),
Nina Hugi (Chicago, Ill.) and
Emily Simmons (Fredericksburg, Va.) to round out a stellar team effort.
The Vixens also captured good results individually with Longest and senior
Anne Rucker (Midlothian, Va.) earning third place in individual open flat and intro, respectively. Senior
Madeline Rucker (Midlothian, Va.) placed fifth in intro while fellow senior
Chloe Kerschl (Lexington, Va.) was eighth in individual open fences and Moses nabbed the ninth spot in novice.
Highlights
- Sweet Briar repeats as Zone 4 Reserve Champions after earning the title in 2019 and having the last two Zone 4 Finals canceled due to COVID-19.
- Longest's first-place finish in the team open flat is her seventh win in the open flat event this season.
- The team bested Goucher, St. Andrews and Washington and Lee by four points.
What's Next
The IHSA National Championship will be held May 5-8, at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pa.
Results
Nina Hugi – 4th Team Intermediate Fences
Paige Kennedy – 3rd Team Open Fences
Chloe Kerschl – 8th Individual Open Fences
Emmy Longest – 1st Place Team Open Flat, 3rd Individual Open Flat
Julianna McIntyre – 2nd Intro
Sita Moses – 5th Team Intermediate Flat, 9th Novice
Anne Rucker – 3rd Intro
Madeline Rucker – 5th Intro
Emily Simmons – 4th Team Limit Flat
Sarah Southard – 2nd Novice
Marran Vansickle – 2nd Team Limit Fences
