Goucher Finishes in Fourth Place at ANRC Championship

Postel Earns Top Score in Hunter Trials Phase, Places Third Overall

SWEET BRIAR, Va. — A three-rider team from Goucher accumulated 152.86 points to place fourth out of the nine riding programs which competed this weekend at the 33rd annual National Intercollegiate Equitation Championship conducted by the American National Riding Commission.

Amory Brandt (Saratoga, Calif./Lynbrook), Catherine Gregory (Oregon City, Ore./Canby) and Karli Postel (Newbury Park, Calif./Oaks Christian School) represented Goucher in the overall team competition and combined they finished behind only Savannah Art & Design, which achieved a point total of 164.39, Sweet Briar (157.55 points) and Virginia (157.01). Virginia Intermont (149.70) was fifth, followed by Centenary (149.10), St. Andrews Presbyterian (141.03), Delaware Vlley (130.57) and Otterbein (111.62).

Goucher also had Chaz Kellogg (Pennington, N.J./Wellesley) and Taylor Marcus (Unionville, Pa./Unionville) entered as individual competitors.

All competitors were required to take a written test where questions were based on forward riding theory and equine science. Goucher produced the highest score (191.10) in this phase; individually, Gregory had the second-highest score (97.00) and Brandt the third-highest (94.10).

Individual riders contended in three phases: a dressage sportif, which is a program ride comprised of hunter seat equitation movements provided by the ANRC, a hunter trials equitation course over rolling terrain over cross country-type jumps, and a hunter seat equitation course in a ring. The dressage sportif counts as 40 percent of an individual rider's overall score, while the other two phases count 30 percent apiece.

Postel was the top performer in the hunter trials phase, earning a score of 83.50 points, and she placed eighth on the hunter seat equitation course (80.00). Overall, she recorded the third-highest score (79.61) among the 39 individual riders.

Brandt posted the highest score among Goucher's riders in the dressage sportif at 203.75, good for seventh place in that phase.