W&L Claims ODAC Equestrian Title in Ride-Off Over Sweet Briar

LEXINGTON, Va. --- Overtime is a common function in just about all sports. But what does that look like in the world of ODAC equestrian? For just the second time in league history, a "ride-off" was needed to determine the 2022 ODAC Equestrian Championships team champion.

Sweet Briar College has been involved in both instances with the Vixens claiming the 2016 trophy over Randolph College in the four-rider tiebreaker. This season. the Vixens finished as reserve champion to Washington and Lee University, which captured its first ODAC crown since 2014. The Generals have now won three championships with their first coming in 2006.

Washington and Lee and Sweet Briar tied atop the team standings with 15 points following three classes of competition in the Waldron Arena at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va. The University of Lynchburg chimed in third with 14 markers. Hollins University placed fourth with 11 points, and Bridgewater College finished fifth with eight points.

Generals junior Jillian Rosenwasser garnered ODAC Rider of the Year laurels as the top overall scorer during the two fence classes. The same could be said of Sweet Briar first-year Isabelle Mesiarik as the ODAC Rookie of the Year due to her highest marks for those rookie-eligible (first-year of collegiate competition). W&L's Gordon Reistrup collected ODAC Coach of the Year distinction, while Generals senior Sam Johnson was recognized by the ODAC athletic communications professionals as the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Related Information: 2022 ODAC Championship Results

ODAC teams of four riders each compete in three classes of competition. Class 1 and Class 2 are Equitation Over Fences tests, while Class 3 is Equitation on the Flat by two riders from each squad. All-ODAC recognition is determined by a rider's combined average over the two fence classes. The top-10 riders by scores (plus ties) earn All-ODAC status.

Washington and Lee earned a full seven team points by winning the Class 1. Lynchburg (5 points) and Sweet Briar (4 points) finished second and third. In Class 2, the Vixens claimed seven points with the win. The Generals (5 points) and the Hornets (4 points) rounded out the top-three, sequentially. That left W&L ahead of SBC by one point (12-11) heading into the flat.

Hollins recovered from two fifth place showings in the fence classes to claim seven points in Class 3. Lynchburg (5 points) placed second, with Sweet Briar (4 points) out-pacing Washington and Lee (3 points) for third to leave the two schools tied at 15-points each.

The ride-off featured Washington and Lee's top-two riders, Rosenwasser and Lexie Paxton, and Sweet Briar's best-two, Mesiarik and Emmy Longest. Rosenwasser and Paxton combined for a score of 133.500, which was determined by averaging their individual scores from both judges and adding those averages together. Sweet Briar's tiebreaker score was incomplete as one of their riders did not complete the course.

Related Information: All-Time ODAC Equestrian Championship Results

Posted below are the full team standings from the 2022 ODAC Equestrian Championships as well as the All-ODAC Riding Team. For more information, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook an follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

ODAC Rider of the Year: Jillian Rosenwasser, Jr., Washington and Lee
ODAC Coach of the Year: Gordon Reistrup, Washington and Lee
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Isabelle Mesiarik, Fy., Sweet Briar
ODAC/Va. Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Sam Johnson, Sr., Washington and Lee

* Washington and Lee won a ride-off tiebreaker with Sweet Briar to determine the ODAC champion