Goucher Claims First Place with Assist from Tiebreaker

HERNDON, Va. — Goucher earned 33 points at today's IHSA Zone IV Region I riding show conducted at Frying Pan Farm Park. So did Mount St. Mary's.

Still, head coach Jen Bunty's team was awarded first place because the tiebreaker is number of blue ribbons won by point riders.

For Goucher, Ashley Bent (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville Area) took home a blue ribbon in open equitation over fences and Anna Carmichael (Colorado Springs, Colo./William J. Palmer) turned in a first-place performance in intermediate equitation on the flat.

The seven point riders for Mount St. Mary's, on the other hand, were able to produce only one blue ribbon.

Three other teams finished within three points of the first-place Gophers: George Mason and Towson both wound up with 31 points and Georgetown was next in line with 30.

After the first three shows of the season, Goucher (120 points) enjoys a 26-point lead over Mount St. Mary's (94 points) in the Zone IV-I standings.

Two other Goucher riders claimed blue ribbons: Erika Scott (Stonington, Conn./The Williams School) in novice equitation on the flat and Kate Matthews (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle) in walk-trot-canter.

Cary Hundley (Ellicott City, Md./Marriotts Ridge) was awarded red ribbons for second-place performances in open fences and open flat; Maia Miller (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt) took second place in a division of novice flat.

In addfition to the seven points she earned for placing first in the jumping phase, Bent bagged another four points for the Gophers with a third-place performance in open flat. Other Goucher riders who took home yellow ribbons were Philip Haber (Conshohocken, Pa./Grove) in novice fences, Hannah Woodson (Timonium, Md./Dulaney) in walk-trot-canter and Ari Schlossberg (Barrington, Ill./Barrington Community) in walk-trot.