BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The Intermont Equestrian at Emory & Henry College IDA Team picked up a victory in its final regular season show of the year Saturday, at Bridgewater. With the win, the Wasps have finished as the champion team in all eight of their shows this year.
The Basics
TEAM PLACE – 1st/6 - 13 points
LOCATION – Bridgewater, Virginia – Bridgewater College Equestrian Center
First Level
- Senior Mandy Snow (Bradford, Maine) picked up her second win in three shows, scoring a 65.938%, as an individual. Snow clinched the season championship for Region H at the First Level and earned an automatic qualification for the IDA National Championship.
- Senior Nick Martino (Bel Air, Md.) was second in the test (65.625%), scoring for the team. He finishes the season as the Region H Reserve Champion.
Upper Training Level
- Freshman Katie Maharis (Howard Beach, N.Y.) won the test with a score of 70.385%, riding as an individual. She finished as the region reserve champion for the season.
- Junior Eli Worth-Jones (Abingdon, Va.) took third place for the team with a 68.846% and earned an automatic qualification for Nationals with his Region Championship.
Lower Training Level
- Senior Sierra Davenport (Chilhowie, Va.) claimed third on the day and earned the region's season reserve championship.
- Although senior Taylor Carroll (Garner, N.C.) did not compete on Saturday, her performance over the course of the year led to her being named Region Champion for the Lower Training Level and a spot in the National show.
Introductory Level
- Senior Hannah Phillips (Virginia Beach, Va.) won the day with a 69.375%, which also solidified her Region Championship for the season and spot in April's National Championships.
- Sophomore Emily Johnston (Gloucester, Va.) finished fifth, riding for the team, and earned the Region Reserve Championship.
The Awards
- Maharis was named Reserve High-Point Rider-of-the-Day with her win in the Upper Training Level.
- Host Bridgewater College was the reserve champion team for the day while Virginia Tech is the season's Region H Reserve Champion team.
National Qualification
- While the Wasps clinched the Region H Team Championship and a berth in the National Championship last weekend at home, the individual championships were decided Saturday.
- The individual regional champions earn automatic qualification to the IDA National Championships to compete on Individual Day. The reserve champions from each of the IDA's nine regions are placed into "wild card" contention, with the top three earning spots at the national show. As E&H took all four individual reserve championships for Region H, there is a good chance that one or more riders will earn a spot to compete at the national level.
- Virginia Tech, as the team reserve champion for the region, will be placed in a similar process amongst the nine regions. Three teams will receive "wild card" spots for Team Day.
- The "wild card" qualifiers will be announced by the IDA as each of the regions across the country complete their seasons.
Next Up
- Emory & Henry will next compete at the 2017 IDA National Championships, hosted by Centenary (N.J.) College in Long Valley, New Jersey.
- The three-day show will run from Friday, April 28 through Saturday, April 30.
- Friday's competition will be the finals of the annual quiz challenge, Saturday will see individual competition and the team national title will be decided on Sunday.
---E&H---