DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – The Delaware Valley hunt seat team had an incredibly successful day at the IHSA Zone 3, Region 4 Regional Championship horse show this past weekend, advancing eight riders to the Zone Championships.
Regionals were held at Wyndsor Farm in Elverson, Pennsylvania, where Delaware Valley was also recognized as the region's High Point Team. Senior Grace Allen was named the region's High Point Open Rider and will compete in the High Point Open Rider two-phase competition at Zones.
Allen started the day strong for the Aggies, winning Open Fences and earning second place in Open Flat. She will advance to Zones in both classes alongside riders from Lehigh University and Bloomsburg University.
Senior captain Taylor Pruitt was the lone Aggie competing in Intermediate Fences and Intermediate Flat, placing third in both classes.
Several Aggies competed in Limit Fences, including sophomore Maggie Mitchell and juniors Paige Gatz and Sophia Frisbie. Gatz finished fifth, Mitchell placed fourth, and Frisbie secured a qualifying spot for Zones with a second-place finish behind a rider from Kutztown University.
DelVal also had strong performances in Limit Flat. Gatz finished eighth, junior Rhiannon Swimelar placed third, and sophomore Samantha Wills took second behind Mitchell. Both Wills and Mitchell qualified for the Zone Championships.
The Aggies also claimed both qualifying spots in the Novice division. Seventeen riders competed in the class, including junior Emma Conway and sophomores Nevaeh Anderson, Alexandra Adams, and Alicia Smoot. Anderson placed fourth, Adams finished second, and Smoot won the class. Adams and Smoot both advanced to Zones.
Sophomore Madison Heitman rounded out the qualifiers by winning the Introductory class, advancing alongside a rider from Lafayette College.
The Zone Championships will be held April 4, where riders will compete for a spot at the IHSA National Horse Show in May. The top two riders in each individual class, the top two teams, and the top three High Point Open riders will advance to Nationals.
Delaware Valley will also compete in the team competition against Centenary University, Penn State University, and the University of Delaware.
The following Aggies will represent Delaware Valley at the Zone Championships:
Grace Allen – Team Open Fences and Open Flat; Individual Open Fences and Open Flat; High Point Open Rider Two-Phase
Tiara D'Amico – Team Intermediate Fences
Maggie Mitchell – Team Intermediate Flat; Individual Limit Flat
Alicia Smoot – Team Limit Fences; Individual Novice
Sophia Frisbie – Individual Limit Fences
Samantha Wills – Individual Limit Flat
Amelia Parsons – Team Limit Flat
Alexandra Adams – Individual Novice
Elsa Heacock – Team Novice
Madison Heitman – Individual Introductory
Keira Larkin – Team Introductory
