Saints Are 2012 IHSA Team Champions

by: 

Wally Johnson

Tim Moore won the Collegiate Cup competition in walk-trot Friday to add to the Saint lead

Senior Abby Cook finished fifth in the College Cup competition in open equitation over fences Saturday morning, clinching the 2012 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Championship for the St. Lawrence University riding team. It is the sixth national championship in Saint program history, but the first since 1990s.

Cook, who finished seventh later in the day in open equitation on the flat, gave the Saints a ten point lead over second place Skidmore with one event to go. A maximum of seven points can be scored in any event.

The Saints scored in seven of the eight events to finish with 31 points with Skidmore second with 24, Brown third with 17 and Mount Holyoke four with 16. A total of 15 teams were in the competition for the national team title.The championship is the second for SLU coach Mary Dreuding, who also won a national title at Colby Sawyer. It is her first as Saint coach after three reserve championships including last season.

Senior Tim Moore won the Collegiate Cup competition in walk trot to the Saints open up an eight point lead on Zone II rival Skidmore College Friday. The Saints, who went into Friday's three events with the lead over Centenary, opened their margin to 10 points with Moore's win, but Skidmore had a big second day and pulled to within eight of the Saints with a win and two seconds in Friday competition..

On day one of the competition, the riding team had its third national individual champion in the last two years and got off to a strong start in the team competition.

First year Emily D'Alessandro won the national individual championship in intermediate equitation on the flat. D'Alessandro also won the regional and zone championships in intermediate on the flat and becomes the 20^th national individual champion in program history.

Sophomore Katherine Figeuroa was another Saint winner on Thursday, the opening day of the three-day competition, as she won the novice on the flat competition in the Collegiate Cup competition for teams. Figeuroa's win, coupled with a second place finish by Casey Zuraitis in intermediate equitation on the flat and a fourth place finish by first year Grace Segrave in novice over fences, put the Saints in first place in the team competition after three of the eight events in the Collegiate Cup.

In other individual competition, Molly Coryer was fourth in novice equitation over fences and Zuraitis finished fifth in novice equitation on the flat on the first day of Hunt Seat competition.

In other Friday Collegiate Cup events, sophomore Jessie Lewis finished third in intermediate equitation over fences and Anna Haron was fourth in walk-trot-canter as the Saints scored in seven of the eight events in the team competition and placed in the top ten in all eight.