FOREST, Va. --- Spring sports have been extraordinarily successful for the ODAC and its member schools in recent seasons, lending to a lot of excitement as the weather turns warmer in the final third of the academic year. That was true of the 2020 campaign as well before competition was halted due to the climate surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, some of the ODAC's best teams and student-athletes did take to their respective arenas and gave us a glimpse of what could have been an outstanding season.
In this installment of a series of season wrap-up features designed at recognizing some of those early achievements in the conference's spring sports, we take a look at the ODAC's equestrian programs.
In addition to the sections below showcasing a conference-wide view of the sport, wrap-ups and features from our member schools will be included to provide a more in-depth perspective for each program. The school features are posted at the bottom of this release and will be included as they become available.
BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE
Bridgewater College's IHSA competing team improved steadily throughout the season, culminating in a second place finish at the spring Lynchburg IHSA Show. The Eagles finished third in the final IHSA regional team standings, marking the seventh straight year BC has finished in the top-three. Katelyn Dugan qualified for the IHSA regional show as an individual in both limit flat and limit fences. She and teammate Michael Golinowski tied for reserve high-point rider at Lynchburg with Golinowski earning the position in a ride-off. Bridgewater's dressage team has earned acclaim in the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) ranks over the past few years. Melissa Lempicki was the IDA regional champion in first level and had qualified for the national show. She is the defending national champion at first level. Click HERE to read about her accomplishments and contributions to the status of Bridgewater's IDA program.
HOLLINS UNIVERSITY
Hollins University's riders put together several strong performances including a win at the 2019 Hollins IHSA show and second place finishes at the Bridgewater IHSA Show, Lynchburg/Sweet Briar IHSA Show, and UVA IHSA Show. Katelyn Mosmiller finished second in both the limit flat and limit fences in HU's win at its IHSA show. She also went on to win in limit fences at the Bridgewater IHSA Show. Caitlyn Sheffer finished the season with four second places showings in open flat and one first place finish in open faces. That helped her to third in the Cacchione Cup* standings with 68 points. Kaitlyn Okin had five top-two finishes in intermediate flat including a pair of first-place ribbons and three second place awards. Six riders qualified for the IHSA Regional show -- Sheffer in open flat, Logan Landfried in intermediate fences, Okin in limit fences, Mosmiller in limit fences, Alex Sanchez in introductory flat, and Sarah Grace Himes in introductory flat.
UNIVERSITY OF LYNCHBURG
The University of Lynchburg's program debuted in the NCEA this past season while also maintaining its IHSA team. The Hornets ranked seventh in the IHSA's Zone 4 Region 2 rankings when the season was suspended. Kelsey Brady was the lone Hornet rider to score points towards the Cacchione Cup, finishing eighth with 27 points. She was Lynchburg's high-point rider across any division, posting nine ribbons between open flat and open fences showings. Olivia Smith registered 20 points in limit flat and limit fences, while Alexis Helms, Chelsea Edwards, and Abbie DeFino topped 15 points each. On the NCEA ledger, Taylor Herzog led the squad with four points. Lynchburg won a pair of points against third-ranked Southern Methodist University. The next day, Lynchburg earned its first tie, 4-4, before falling in a tiebreaker to the University of California, Davis.
ODAC/VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU INSURANCE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE
Sweet Briar College junior Lily Peterson has stood out as a student-athlete in just short of three years as a Vixen. The Ashland, Va., native maintains a 3.95 grade point average as a studio art major with minors in art history as well as work towards an equine teaching certification. Soon to be a three-time Academic All-ODAC honoree, Peterson has received numerous academic honors during her career. Those include twice being named First Team All-Academic and to the honor roll by the National College Equestrian Association (NCEA) as well as Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) First Team All-Academic and United Equestrian Conference (UEC) First Team All-Academic recognition.
In the competition ring, Peterson adds this honor to a pair of All-ODAC laurels in addition to the 2018 ODAC Rider and Rookie of the Year awards. She set Sweet Briar's record for NCEA fences head-to-head wins (6) and currently holds the school record for career head-to-head wins in fences (13) and jumping seat combined career victories (20). This season, Peterson has won nine times combined over fences and on the flat as a member of the Vixens' NCEA competing squad. That includes the Most Outstanding Performance on Flat accolade against SUNY New Paltz. She was also ECAC Fences Rider of the Week for the week of October 22, 2019.
SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE
The Vixens, winners of the 2019 ODAC title, put together a strong season that saw them finish 12th in the country in the event rankings for fences and flat in NCEA competition. Several individuals stood out, including Peterson, who as noted above (see scholar-athlete section) put together a record-setting season in wins over fences. Among those came a triumph in fences against NCEA eighth-ranked Texas Christian University. First-year Sophie Kane was named the ECAC Fences Freshman of the Year. She also posted a fences win over TCU as well as a flat victory against third-ranked Georgia. She registered a school-record score of 88 in fences against SUNY New Paltz. Katie Balding was named All-ECAC over fences and on flat, making her the only rider to earn recogition in both events. Twice she garnered Most Outstanding Performer honors, including on the road at fifth-ranked South Carolina. She set SBC records in single-season flat (6) and combined jumping seat (11) wins. She also set the highest score on the flat with a 97 in a win over Georgia. In SBC IHSA news, three Vixens qualified for the Zone 4 Show before the season halted. Sarah Miller, a three-time high-point rider this season, won the Zone 4 Region 4 championship in limit flat. Kaitlin Duecker claimed the intermediate flat championship, while Chloe Kerschl finished as reserve champion in open flat.
WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY
Washington and Lee University won twice this season, claiming first at the Lynchburg/Sweet Briar IHSA Invitational and W&L/JMU IHSA Invitational. Two riders positioned themselves inside the top-six in the Cacchione Cup Standings when the season was halted. Sam Johnson finished second with 65 points, just five points off first place occuppied by Madeline McManus from Virginia Tech. Johnson totaled six high-point rider or reserve high-point tricolor honors this season. She qualified for the regionals in open flat and open fences in addition to posting six wins. Jillian Rosenwasser slotted fourth in the Cacchione Cup table with 55 points. In addition to qualifying for regionals in open fences, she posted two event wins, eight top-three showings, and 12 top-five finishes. Charlotte Radcliffe, a team captain along with Maggie Phipps, started the season by earning high-point rider honors at the Hollins IHSA Show. She posted a pair of runner-up finishes at the Bridgewater IHSA Show, leading to four second place finishes on the year.
* The Cacchione Cup is named after Mary and Anne Cacchione, parents of Robert Cacchione, the man who established the IHSA. It is awarded at IHSA Nationals to the high point hunter seat rider.
Click one of the graphics below (or for Sweet Briar, just one of the links below the graphic) to be taken to that school's season wrap-up feature. These features will be added as our members complete them.
For more on ODAC equestrian, 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 and following @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.
