Goucher Equestrian Claims 10th-Straight Zone IV Region I Championship At Maryland/American IHSA Show
GAITHERSBURG, Md. – The Goucher College equestrian team finished as the High Point College at the Maryland/American IHSA Show to clinch the Gophers 10th-consecutive Zone IV Region I title on Sunday.
The win at the show on Sunday put Goucher 72 points ahead of second-place Georgetown University in the region standings. With one show left, the most points a team could produce in a show is 49 points. The Gophers secured the region title and a trip to the Zone Championship on April 6. Finishing in the top two at the Zone Championship would send the team to the National Championship.
Irene Elise Powlick (Salt Lake City, Utah/Skyline) won both the open fences and open flat while being named the Reserve High Point Rider. In addition, Powlick qualified for the Regional Championships on March 26 in both open flat and open fences.
Rachel Stockslager (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock) also won both of her events in the novice flat and novice fences to earn High Point Rider.
Wren Wakeman (Addison, Maine/Washington Academy) (intermediate fences), Nadia Langer (Chevy Chase, Md./Washington Waldorf) (novice fences), Jessica Wiggins (San Jose, Calif./Notre Dame) (walk trot canter), Cherise Madrid (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) (beginning walk trot canter) and Isabella Marini (Taunton, Mass./Liberal Arts and Science Academy) (beginning walk trot canter) each won an event for the Gophers.
Victoria Wheeler (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) finished second in intermediate flat, Havah Berg (Champaign-Urbanna, Ill./Davenport Central) was third in the walk trot and Sydney Smith (Falls Church, Va./Sydney Smith) finished fourth in novice flat.
Along with Powlick, Wakeman, Madrid and Courtney Sloan (Annadale, Va./W.T. Woodson) have qualified for the Regional Championships for individual events. Wakeman qualified in the walk trot canter and Madrid in the walk trot while Sloan will participate in the novice flat and the indermediate fences. Placing in the top two individually at regionals will advance to the Zone Championship, and the top two individuals there advance to the National Championships.
IHSA competition is broken up into five categories based on experience. The Open division has the most experienced rider, while intermediate is No. 2, novice is No. 3, walk trot canter is No. 4 and Walk trot is No. 5. The top three categories include two sub-sections; the "flat" which is a pattern that does not include jumping, and a fences section. In addition, when teams are on the road, like the Gophers were at Mary Washington, they are using the horses at the home stable. The riders are judged on their ability to adapt, communicate, and perform with an unfamiliar horse.
Goucher College wraps up the regular season by hosting the UMBC IHSA Show on March 16.
CONNECT WITH THE GOPHERS
Be sure to follow the Gophers all season long at athletics.goucher.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for up-to-date scores, news, and other information. Find webcasts for upcoming athletic events and sign up for email newsletters to receive the latest news directly in your inbox.