Equestrian Takes Fourth

After an up-and-down 2007 season, the equestrian team rode to a fourth place finish at the Ivy League championships on Saturday at the Morton Farm in Hanover, N.H. with a combined team score of 32 points. Host team Dartmouth shocked the field by winning its first Ivy championship since 1997 in decisive fashion, capturing 47 of a possible 49 points.
“I was very surprised that Dartmouth won,” said head coach Chris Mitchell. “I’ve been following their team all year and they have done very well, so I’m very happy for them. … But it’s surprising they beat us by that much.”
Brown accumulated 40 team points to take second while Penn squeaked by the Red with 33 points, good enough for third place. Eighteen riders competed for Cornell at the event, although only eight of them — as designated by the coaching staff — were capable of scoring points for the team, one in each level of competition. If a rider places in the top-3 in the opening round of any division, she advances to the championship round for a chance to earn more points.
“The individuals on the team did very well, but the team didn’t do as well because we had a number of non-point riders win their classes,” Mitchell said. “Our point riders just didn’t get the results we were looking for. Unfortunately all those non-point riders could do was take points away from other teams, not earn them for us.”
Among those eight point-earning riders, four earned reserve championships (second place) while one — freshman Zoë Samuel — earned a championship in the open flat division.
In the fence events, sophomore Candace Berne won her class and proceeded to take a reserve championship in the intermediate level. Meanwhile, Samuel followed exactly the same route to a reserve championship in novice fences. They were the only two riders to score significant points for the Red in the fencing events, however, giving Cornell merely eight points heading into the afternoon’s flat events.
The team responded to a disappointing start to the competition with a much more consistent finish, including two more reserve champions as well as an overall champion. Senior Erika Oziemina captured the second-place finish in the walk trot canter while sophomore Caroline Shulman achieved the same result in the open flat event. Samuel capped off a spectacular all-around performance by earning the championship in novice flat.
Due to a number of other high finishes, the Red racked up 24 points in the second half of the competition, vaulting them into a fourth place finish.
“We did earn 24 points in the afternoon, but it was too little, too late,” Mitchell said. “Just as we After an up-and-down 2007 season, the equestrian team rode to a fourth place finish at the Ivy League championships on Saturday at the Morton Farm in Hanover, N.H. with a combined team score of 32 points. Host team Dartmouth shocked the field by winning its first Ivy championship since 1997 in decisive fashion, capturing 47 of a possible 49 points.
“I was very surprised that Dartmouth won,” said head coach Chris Mitchell. “I’ve been following their team all year and they have done very well, so I’m very happy for them. … But it’s surprising they beat us by that much.”
Brown accumulated 40 team points to take second while Penn squeaked by the Red with 33 points, good enough for third place. Eighteen riders competed for Cornell at the event, although only eight of them — as designated by the coaching staff — were capable of scoring points for the team, one in each level of competition. If a rider places in the top-3 in the opening round of any division, she advances to the championship round for a chance to earn more points.
“The individuals on the team did very well, but the team didn’t do as well because we had a number of non-point riders win their classes,” Mitchell said. “Our point riders just didn’t get the results we were looking for. Unfortunately all those non-point riders could do was take points away from other teams, not earn them for us.”
Among those eight point-earning riders, four earned reserve championships (second place) while one — freshman Zoë Samuel — earned a championship in the open flat division.
In the fence events, sophomore Candace Berne won her class and proceeded to take a reserve championship in the intermediate level. Meanwhile, Samuel followed exactly the same route to a reserve championship in novice fences. They were the only two riders to score significant points for the Red in the fencing events, however, giving Cornell merely eight points heading into the afternoon’s flat events.
The team responded to a disappointing start to the competition with a much more consistent finish, including two more reserve champions as well as an overall champion. Senior Erika Oziemina captured the second-place finish in the walk trot canter while sophomore Caroline Shulman achieved the same result in the open flat event. Samuel capped off a spectacular all-around performance by earning the championship in novice flat.
Due to a number of other high finishes, the Red racked up 24 points in the second half of the competition, vaulting them into a fourth place finish.
“We did earn 24 points in the afternoon, but it was too little, too late,” Mitchell said. “Just as we have done all season long, the girls never gave up. We have always been a better team in the afternoon, but to score 24 points is pretty amazing. … I think it proves that this team is built of character.”
Though the Red will be deprived of an Ivy League championship for the third consecutive year, Mitchell is excited for a chance to host the event next year and get back on top.
“I did not expect to finish fourth, we expect to win every event we enter,” he said. “But hopefully we can host it next year and have the advantage of riding our own horses, instead of another teams’.”
Although the team’s season is officially over, senior tri-captain Laura Acker — after winning the Zone II championships on April 7 — will have a chance to compete for a National championship at the IHSA National Horse Show beginning on May 3.