Jackson Highlights Goucher Equestrian At Tournament Of Champions In Season Finale

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. - Cole Jackson (Denver, Colo./East) was named the Champion High Collegiate Medal to lead the Goucher College equestrian team to third-place standing at the Tournament of Champions on Saturday.

Jackson was named Champion in the High Collegiate Medal amongst the Open riders from all the entered teams. The sophomore also finished third in open fences and fifth in open flat.

Kristen Wilhelm (Columbia, Md./Liberty) notched the lone event first-place finish in the novice flat.

The Gophers had several second-place standings, led by senior Adeline Callihan (Keene, N.H./Making Community Connections Charter) in the intermediate fences and the intermediate flat. Callihan has been a member of the equestrian team for all four years and has been highly successful in the classifications she has competed in during her four years. We want to thank Adeline for her hard work and dedication to Goucher College and the equestrian program for the last four years.

Jacob Connell (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron) also finished with a pair of second-place ribbons in the limit flat and limit fences. Sarah Schultheis (Sterling, Va./Potomac Falls) (intermediate flat), Lexi Mason (Lothian, Md./Southern) (novice flat) each notched a second-place finish.

Nick Arrighetti (Alexandria, Va./Edmund Burke School) finished fifth in his first event of the year, and Halle Taylor (Dakar, Senegal/International School of Dakar) finished eighth in the low collegiate medal.

Host Savannah Art & Design (SCAD) Bee-lieve won the event with a total of 54 points, while SCAD Bee-Strong finished second with 49 points. The Gophers finished third with 35 points, while New England All-Stars Blue Team (34 points) and St. Gopher of the Southern Woods (31 points) rounded out the Top-5 teams in the 11-team field. St. Gopher of the Southern Woods was a team comprised of individuals from Georgia Southern, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, and Goucher College.

The event marks the end of a unique season for Goucher equestrian. The Blue and Gold competed in seven virtual events and three in-person competitions in the 2020-21 school year. The squad had two teams finish first and second in the ANRC Take It Forward September Kickoff, October Turnover, November Touchdown, and the Team Tournament Finale during the fall virtually. Goucher had impressive results at the IHSA Online Spring Showcase I and II and placed third in the ANRC Spring College Tournament. The Gophers also won the Virginia Tech Invitational on March 28 and April 10 for its in-person events.