FOREST, Va. --- The University of Lynchburg has previously served as the host in name of the ODAC Equestrian Championships, but this will be the first time the Hornets welcome the conference's competing schools to its new home facility. Five competition teams of four riders each will compete over three sessions at the University of Lynchburg Equestrian Center on Friday morning and afternoon, March 17, to determine the 2023 conference champion.

League teams will arrive a day early for a series of five schooling periods on Thursday morning and afternoon beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. Championship competition kicks off at 10:00 a.m. ET on Friday. Scoring for the ODAC Championship differs from that of the IHSA shows, where riders are split into two or three separate sections for competition. For the ODAC event, each team will feature four riders and will use their own horses. In IHSA shows, competing riders must use horses provided by the host.

The ODAC Championship features two jumping rounds -- Equitation Over Fences -- which form the basis for All-ODAC consideration. Two judges score each rider during the fences rounds with averages taken for each. From a team perspective, the low average of the four riders will be dropped with the three remaining riders cumulatively forming that team's score for that session.

The third round of competition -- Equitation on the Flat -- focuses on two appointed riders per school. Those riders will follow the commands given by the judges and awarded a score based on several factors surrounding the judges' directions. Both riders' scores are counted and applied to the team's overall total to determine who lifts the ODAC trophy.

RELATED: All-Time ODAC Equestrian Championship Results

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. Last season, the Vixens finished as reserve champion to Washington and Lee University, which captured its first ODAC crown since 2014. The Generals have 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. Lynchburg chimed in third with 14 markers. Hollins University placed fourth with 11 points, and Bridgewater College finished fifth with eight points.

The Generals' 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's Isabelle Mesiarik as the ODAC Rookie of the Year due to her highest marks for those rookie-eligible (first-year of collegiate competition) riders. W&L's Gordon Reistrup collected ODAC Coach of the Year distinction, while the Generals' Sam Johnson was recognized by the ODAC athletic communications professionals as the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

RELATED: 2022 ODAC Equestrian Championship Results

Listed below is information regarding this season's championships. For more, visit the websites of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Please be sure to watch the LIVE stream produced by host Lynchburg. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and following @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.