After toppling several schools in the area to win the region last week, the Tufts equestrian team will progress to Zone Championships at Mount Holyoke this Saturday, facing off against some of the northeasts premier programs as they try to take a bid to the IHSA National Championship Show. The Jumbos qualified as a team because of their first place finish in the region, and will be sending one rider in each of eight categories in addition to two riders who made the cut individually.
Individually, senior co-captains Katie Lazarski and Kennon Ulicny both qualified at last Fridays regionals, meaning Lazarski will compete in the Intermediate Fences while Ulicny will participate in the Open Flat both individually and for the Jumbos as a whole.
Coach Katie Schaaf selected the riders who will represent Tufts as a team this weekend, with senior Risa Meyers in Open Fences and Intermediate Flat, Ulicny in Open Flat, sophomore Ally Boxer in Intermediate Fences and Novice Flat, sophomore Ann Bellinger in Novice Fences, freshman Maris Nyhart in Walk-Trot-Canter and junior Emily Rourke in Walk-Trot.
The team from Tufts will compete against squads from Mount Holyoke, University of New Hampshire and University of Rhode Island, which all won their respective regions to qualify. The top two teams will progress to nationals, while the individual competition will be judged in a different category.
Qualifying as a team is quite a feat for Tufts Equestrian as they compete throughout the year as a club sport against several varsity-funded programs. The team does extensive fundraising, but their budget does not match that of varsity programs, nor are they able to recruit riders.
There are several varsity teams in our region and we are a club team, Schaaf said. Its a major hurdle to overcome and this year we did it.
To advance to the Zone Qualifiers, the Jumbos had to beat Stonehill, their main rival in the area, on March 23. Of the 11 teams that send riders to the region qualifiers, Stonehill is typically the strongest, as the Skyhawks have won nine out of the past 13 titles. They have, however, had the championship taken from them by the Jumbos twice in the past.
Tufts won the region two years ago after an 11-year dry spell, and see this years win as proof that 2011 was not simply a stroke of luck.
The fact that weve [won the region] twice in three years wasnt a fluke, Lazarski said. Weve upset the region and people need to look out for us.
Now, Tufts has moved onto the regional stage. There are four regions that each progress one school, providing a platform for qualifying for the IHSA National Championship Show, the top level in collegiate equestrian competition.
The team is keeping realistic goals in mind while. focusing on its short-term success of winning this weekends competition.
According to Lazarski, making it to Nationals as a club team would be groundbreaking.
To win regionals as a club team is a huge deal ... to go to nationals would be incredible, she said.
The classes range from beginner to advanced, with novice riders starting with the Walk-Trot and the most experienced riders competing in the open groups. As they participate in more shows, riders have the opportunity to move up levels over the course of their careers.
Lazarski qualified for regionals in the first show of the year. She made her mark in the intermediate level, which bumped her up to the open level for the rest of the year until this past weekend when she showed in intermediate.
Because riding is all based on the opinions of the judges and only rankings are given, not scores, it is hard for the team to quantify their success over the years.
This year is the year that all of the hard work really came together, Lazarski said. Its probably going to be the hardest part about graduating, but [its] really nice to go out on this note.
