Posted by Katie Peverada
The riding team earned a trip to the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships by way of its second place finish at Zone II Championships this past weekend.
Skidmore scored 35 points, behind only St. Lawrence University's 44 points. Also competing were Alfred University, SUNY Stony Brook and the University of Connecticut. Only the top two teams move on to the national competition.
During the team competition, Natalie Williams '15 and Jiakun Fu '15 placed first in Novice over Fences and Walk Trot classes respectively. Keena Newton '13 placed second in Advanced Walk Trot Canter. Four Thoroughbred riders have also qualified to compete in individual classes at the IHSA national competition. Flavia D'Urso '13, Julia Mazzarella '13, Sandrine Couldwell '13 and Bettina Salfeld '14 will all compete with the top riders in the nation.
The IHSA nationals are being held May 2-5 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. Skidmore and St. Lawrence also competed at the 2012 national show, placing second and first respectively. Overall, Skidmore has won six IHSA national titles, with the most recent win coming in 2010.