The equestrian team will be competing this weekend at the Varsity Equestrian Championship in Newberry, Fla. This championship is the first in equestrian history. Many programs will be represented from Division I and Division II schools.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Cornell to show what it can do on the national level,” indicated head coach Chris Mitchell.
The Red will have three riders representing them in the tournament. Senior captain Julie Canter will ride in the open division, freshman Kate Reynolds will ride in the intermediate division, and Gillian Pech will ride in the novice division.
Canter had a strong senior campaign. Though she got off to a bit of a rocky start early in the season, she quickly turned it around, earning four first-place finishes in the flat and three times in the fences. She also earned the high point rider honors for the second Morrisville show and the high point reserve honors for the second Cornell show. She finished the season third among all open riders in the region. She qualified for regionals where she finished as Reserve high point rider to advance to Zones Championship. There she rode well but ended up finishing ninth in her class. She hopes to have a strong showing this weekend.
Reynolds had a strong freshman campaign, competing midway in the season when sophomore riders Jeannette Pettit and Noelle Battle qualified for regionals. She acted as a point rider in many contests this season and had many high placements, which helped the Red have one of its strongest seasons ever.
Fellow freshman Gillian Pech also had a strong season. Competing in the novice division, she also gave the Red many high placements throughout the year.
“We are very excited. This is a huge step and opportunity for the program,” commented Mitchell.
The Red will compete again next weekend when it faces off in the Ivy Invitational.
Archived article by Chris Callanan