DANBURY, Conn. – The No. 2 Sweet Briar College NCEA team (9-2, 7-1 ECAC) saw a total of four student-athletes earn awards from the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) during the conference championships.
Sophomore
Katherine Atherton (Montpelier, Va.) was named Co-Rider of the Year – Flat. During regular season competition, Atherton totaled six wins and three losses and was named Most Outstanding Performer (MOP) three times.
Additionally, the Virginia native earned a season-high score of 92 against Dartmouth on Oct. 15 and was named the conference's Flat Rider of the Month on March 7.
First-year
Wyette Felton (Canton, Ga.) was named Freshman of the Year – Flat, after securing a 4-1-1 competition record. Felton's highest score of the season, a 94, came against Dartmouth as well. The Georgia native was also named ECAC Flat Rider of the Week twice during the season.
Atherton earned a spot on both the ECAC-EQ All-Conference Fence Team and the ECAC-EQ All-Conference Flat Team. She was joined by senior
Kacie Freeburg (Orlando, Fla.) on the Flat Team.
Atherton went 7-2 in fences competition and 7-2 in flat competition. She averaged a nine-point margin of victory over her opponents in fences and earned a career-high flat score of 92 against Dartmouth.
Freeburg held a 6-2-1 record in flat competition and was designated the MOP three times during the course of 2022-23 season. Her season-high score of 92 was earned against Dartmouth.
Sophomore
Ella Peterson (Ashland, Va.) was named Elite Equestrian at the ECAC Single Discipline Championships this past weekend. Peterson held the highest GPA out of anyone competing in the Championship round.
The Virginia native was also named to the ECAC All-Tournament Flat Team. She earned a 173 on Caleb against Bridgewater and a 170 on Carl against Lynchburg.
Joining Peterson on the ECAC All-Tournament Flat Team, as well as being named to the All-Tournament Fence Team was Felton. She earned MOP honors in fences in the Championship meet against Lynchburg after scoring a 175 to beat out her Hornets competitor by seven points.
Felton also totaled a 170 on Buddy in flat competition, 11 points more than her opponent.
In the semifinal meet, she totaled a 155 in fences on Coolie and a 148 in flat on Feefee, putting 27-point margin of victory between her and her Eagles opponent.
Highlights
- Peterson has become the second-straight Vixen to earn Elite Equestrian honors after junior Emmy Longest (Hanover, Va.) earned the distinction last year.
- Both Felton and Peterson were named to the ECAC All-Tournament Team for the first time in their careers.
- Both Atherton and Freeburg have earned their second-straight ECAC-EQ All-Conference Team honors.
What's Next
Sweet Briar will compete at the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) National Championships, April 13-15, at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla.
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