SWEET BRIAR, Va. – The Sweet Briar College Athletics and Riding Hall of Fame welcomed four new members on Friday, Oct. 16th, with an induction ceremony at Upchurch Field House.

The ceremony honored former riders Kit Baker Sydnor '66 and Makayla Benjamin Fedder '18, field hockey and lacrosse dual-sport athlete Jenn Wiley Schmidt ‘06, and diver Jill Steenhuis Ruffato ’80.

Each inductee took the time to share their stories: what originally brought them to Sweet Briar, those on campus who greatly impacted them during their time here, how pursuing athletic and academic excellence shaped who they became as a person, both in the process of pursuing their degrees and as they entered the workforce following graduation, and the many life lessons that they have learned over the years.

Kit rode all four years at Sweet Briar and also served as Head of the Riding Council. She credits her time spent with Sweet Briar's Riding Director, Clayton E. Bailey, as the key to unlocking the framework of the American Forward Riding System.

As a professional horse trainer for multiple decades, Kit has trained many horses and riders to win at the national level. Throughout her career, Kit held AHSA judges' cards, served on the ANRC Advisory Board, and was a founding member of the SWVHJA. Kit was also honored with the USHJA's Jane Marshall Dillon Award for her dedication and excellence as a riding instructor.

In her speech, Kit expressed gratitude for the riding program that brought her to Sweet Briar in 1962, the horses that helped keep her in college, and the professors who shaped her lifelong approach to learning and teaching. She emphasized riding’s lasting value in education, explaining that horses teach empathy, clear communication, emotional awareness, teamwork, and patience, lessons that extend well beyond the saddle.

As a field hockey player, Jenn was a four-time Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) All-Conference honoree and was named the ODAC Player of the Year in 2025. She also still holds the top spot in the ODAC record book for single-game saves, career saves, and single-season saves. Additionally, Jenn ranks third in DIII history for most career saves.

As a lacrosse player, Jenn also earned All-Conference honors and was among the program leaders in the statistical categories of ground balls and turnovers during her time with the team.

Jenn reflected on the unexpected opportunities that brought her to Sweet Briar and shaped her development as an athlete, student, and scientist. She recalled becoming a field hockey goalkeeper, discovering lacrosse, and overcoming academic struggles with support from coaches and professors. Jenn connected those experiences, along with mentorship from Dr. Linda Fink and Dr. Lincoln Brower, to her subsequent work in fisheries biology, pharmaceutical research, and global robotics automation, crediting Sweet Briar with teaching her leadership, teamwork, and continuous learning.

Makayla was a four-time ODAC All-Conference honoree and was part of the 2014 and 2015 ODAC Championship teams. 

Her impressive accolades also include being named the ODAC Rookie of the Year and Rider of the Year in 2015, along with being the first Sweet Briar student-athlete to win the Cacchione Cup in 2018.

Makayla has remained a stalwart representative of Sweet Briar and embodies the hard work, dedication, kindness, and unstoppability of a Vixen.

Makayla traced her Sweet Briar experience from the threatened closure in 2015 to her international riding success and senior-year Cacchione Cup National Championship. She recalled testifying in the student lawsuit, using competition to promote the college’s continued operation and learning to bring calm confidence to unfamiliar horses. Reflecting on subsequent riding opportunities in Wyoming and Europe, her career at the Federal Reserve Bank, and motherhood, she credited Sweet Briar with strengthening her resilience, work ethic, teamwork, and lasting sense of community.

Jill was an extremely accomplished diver, helping the program earn crucial points on its way to a first-place finish at the VAIAW Small College Championships in 1978.

She set program and pool records that will never be broken.

Jill has distinguished herself as a prominent artist in Provence, France, and also does tours and workshops throughout the U.S.

She has donated paintings to Sweet Briar, including a beautiful painting of the Upper Quad, and has also designed scarves to commemorate the inauguration of President Mary Pope Hutson '83.

Jill reflected on the mentorship and lasting community she found at Sweet Briar, crediting coaches Paul Cronin, Bonnie Kestner, and Peter Daniel with helping her grow beyond her comfort zone and develop confidence, courage, and integrity. She recalled how joining the diving team brought friendship and direction after a difficult freshman year, with Daniel’s encouragement leaving a lifelong impression. Jill connected those formative experiences to her leap of faith in moving to France to pursue painting, expressing gratitude for the Sweet Briar friendships and alumnae support that have sustained her throughout her life and artistic career.

Each of our inductees this year, as with the inductees of years past, have left lasting legacies on Sweet Briar College. Their names can be found in record books and engraved on trophies throughout campus. However, more than their accomplishments, they truly embody the purpose, passion, and heart that guide Sweet Briar student-athletes today. 

To watch the full 2026 Hall of Fame Ceremony on demand, click HERE.

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