Fink Claims Top Award at Tournament of Champions Event

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Goucher produced the recipient of the prestigious Tournament of Champions Collegiate Medal and finished in a tie with one of Savannah Art & Design's two entries for seventh place at today's Tournament of Champions Preseason Classic conducted at the Randolph College Riding Center.

Joey Fink (Baltimore, Md./The Park School) represented the Gophers in a competition among the top riders from 22 different programs in the open division. The field was reduced to nine after the riders competed on the flat; the three who then scored the highest on a course over fences were called back to perform a mounted equitation test.

Fink earned the highest score in the test, becoming the first rider in the history of Goucher's equestrian program to claim the Collegiate Medal at a Tournament of Champions event.

Every point rider from Goucher was the recipient of at least one ribbon during the event. Fink picked up a red ribbon for placing second in open flat and a yellow one for placing third in open fences. In the intermediate division, Alison Radgowski (Northport, N.Y./Northport) placed second in the flat phase and sixth in jumping.

Anna Carmichael (Colorado Springs, Colo./William J. Palmer) placed fifth in novice flat.

Erika Scott (Stonington, Conn./The Williams School) was awarded fourth place in advanced walk-trot-canter equitation; Kaili Janette (New Haven, Conn./Hebrew High School of New England) turned in a third-place performance in walk-trot.

Goucher's five-person riding team scored 23 points in the eight Intercollegiate Horse Show Association class divisions and only eight points separated the top eight in the final team scoring. First place went to the Savannah Art & Design entry that scored 31 points, which was two points better than both of the teams entered by Randolph. Bridgewater placed fourth with 28, followed by St. Andrews in fifth with 27 and Lynchburg in sixth with 25.

The Tournament of Champions is a non-sanctioned exhibition series structured like an IHSA riding show.