Equestrians Finish Sixth In The Nation at IHSA Nationals

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The Kentucky Horse Park - Lexington, Ky.

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College of Charleston

IHSA Nationals

Equestrians Finish Sixth In The Nation at IHSA Nationals

5/8/2017 9:30:00 PM | Equestrian

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The College of Charleston equestrian team finished sixth in the nation at the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) 50th Anniversary National Championship Horse Show held at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Savannah College of Art & Design won the national championship, while Centenary University claimed the reserve national championship.

Freshman Molly Coyle (Davidsonville, Md.) was the first to ride on Day One in Novice Fences and earned a seventh-place finish after a great round. Sophomore Emilia Vawter (Goshen, Ky.) was named reserve national champion in Novice Flat and sophomore Sophie Meserve (Portsmouth, N.H.) finished out the day with a sixth-place ride in Intermediate Flat.

Sophomore Shannon Rice (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) started Day Two with a 10th-place finish in Intermediate Fences. Freshman Elif Caynak (Fort Mill, S.C.) was eighth in Walk/Trot followed by freshman Samantha Bledsoe (St. Charles, Ill.) and her sixth-place finish in Walk/Trot/Canter.

Junior Hannah Showell (Ocean City, Md.) rode to a fourth-place finish in Open Fences on the final day of the Hunt Seat competition. Closing out the show was sophomore Avery Jackson (Mechanicsbury, Pa.) with a fifth-place finish in Open Flat, while sophomore Hannah Bentz (Boca Raton, Fla.) earned a third-place finish in the Horsemanship Test.

"This is the first time that all of our College of Charleston riders have placed at the IHSA National Finals," CofC Head Coach Bob Story said. "The poise that these riders showed throughout the competition was incredible considering junior Hannah Showell was the only rider to have competed at nationals before. Sixth place was a great finish for this incredibly young team. The support that they received from their teammates in Charleston was crucial to their success and it was greatly appreciated."

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. SCAD
2. Centenary
3. Stanford
4. Skidmore
5. St. Lawrence
6. College of Charleston
7. Rhode Island
8. Emory and Henry
9. Purdue
10. Goucher College
11. Penn State
12. Kansas State
13. Southern Cal
14. Michigan State
15. University of Findlay
16. Mount Holyoke