Sweet Briar’s IHSA team wins Zone 4, Region 4 Team Championship
Posted on February 18, 2019 by Casey Grogan
The Sweet Briar IHSA team wrapped up the regular season on Sunday at the A. Elizabeth Morrison Equestrian Center by securing the Zone 4, Region 4 Team Championship, while sophomore Kaitlin Duecker earned high-point rider.
The Vixens finished with 36 points as a team to earn high-point team honors, finishing ahead of Liberty’s 32 points. In earning the Zone 4, Region 4 Team Championship, Sweet Briar will move on to Zones to compete against the other top teams from Zone 4 in Charlottesville on April 6. The Vixens finished with 262 team points, with Randolph-Macon second with 252 and Liberty third with 237.
Individually, Duecker (Chesapeake, Va.) earned high-point rider after a ride off with a rider from Liberty. Duecker won intermediate fences in her first show in the event, while also finishing second in intermediate flat.
Senior Ailish Rhoades (Lebanon, Conn.) earned first place in open fences and finished fourth in open flat, while first-year Chloe Kerschl (Lexington, Va.) won open flat and was fifth in intermediate fences.
Junior Sarah Miller (Amissville, Va.) was the fourth Sweet Briar rider to earn first place honors at Sunday’s show, winning in novice flat.
A pair of Vixens finished second, with first-year Jen Markey (Montpelier, Va.) placing in novice flat and junior Ellyn Narodowy (North Smithfield, R.I.) earning second in novice fences.
Sophomore Madeleine McAllister was third in beginner walk, trot, canter, and junior Chandler Fox picked up third in advanced walk, trot, canter.
Sophomore Hannah Inman (Monroe, Maine) was fourth in beginner walk, trot, canter, with senior Taylor Jefferson and junior Kate Albert both finishing fourth in walk, trot.
Junior Madeleine Favre finished fifth in intermediate fences and senior Nicole Sabovik (Ridgefield, Conn.) earned fifth over novice fences. First-year Abby Bell (Stafford, Va.) picked up a sixth-place finish in advanced walk, trot, canter.
Next for the Vixens is the Region 4 Show hosted by Sweet Briar on Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. Sweet Briar has qualified five riders for the Region 4 Show, with Kerschl in intermediate flat, Duecker in novice flat and novice fences, McAllister in walk, trot, Narodowy in advanced walk, trot, canter, and junior Olivia Kolenda (Ladysmith, Va.) in advanced walk, trot, canter.
