The Cornell Equestrian team, despite finishing fourth at the Hartwick invitational, boasted the top three individual riders in the region. The Red, which scored 32 points as a team was only three points behind the winner and defending regional champion, Skidmore College.
Individually, there were many Cornell highlights from the show. Zoe Orecki and co-captain Brooke Hafets finished in the top two slots of their section of the open fences competition. In the other section, two other Cornell riders, Julie Canter and Kate Cornell, finished in the top spots as well. In addition, Orecki won the open flats division, defeating Skidmore’s Charlotte Harwood in a ride-off that gave Orecki the high-point award for the show.
Cornell riders also placed well in the intermediate fences division, as Stacy Olexy finished second in the intermediate flat division and third in the fences division. Jeanette Pettie also rode well, placing second in the fences division and fifth in the flats division.
The Red was coming off an impressive second place showing in the previous week’s event at Morrisville, where it finished second to Skidmore. The team was very successful in the open, intermediate, and novice divisions.
Currently, Cornell has the top three riders in the region: Orecki, who leads the region, Canter, and Cornell. The team will ride again at the Cornell Invitational on December 3rd.
Archived article by Josh Mendelsohn