Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics
Mount Holyoke College’s varsity hunt seat equestrian team will be competing at the IHSA National Championship to be held this weekend, May 2-4.
By Tara Monastesse ’25
Editor-in-Chief
After taking home a regional championship win earlier this month, Mount Holyoke College’s varsity hunt seat equestrian team will be competing at the IHSA National Championship this weekend. The competition will be held from May 2-4 at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina. Participating riders have been preparing for the event with additional practice sessions and clinics with Linda Langmeier, the head trainer of the Ethel Walker School.
The IHSA Zone I Championship, where the Lyons qualified for Nationals, was held on April 6 at the Mystic Valley Hunt Club in Gales Ferry, Connecticut. Mount Holyoke secured the championship title by a single point, prevailing with 40 points over Northeastern University and the University of Rhode Island, who tied for second place with 39 points apiece. After winning the tiebreaker with URI due to a higher blue ribbon count, Northeastern was selected to advance to the national championship alongside Mount Holyoke. The University of Connecticut came in fourth place, with a total of 34 points.
In addition to the Lyons advancing to the IHSA Nationals as a team, Megan Bliamptis ’25 and Cate Bates ’25 were selected to compete as individuals after each rider secured a reserve title during the Zone 1 Championship. Bliamptis was reserve champion in the Introductory Class, while Bates was named champion for Individual Intermediate Flat.
“I’ve enjoyed spending time with my teammates and seeing them grow as riders this season,” Bliamptis said in an email to Mount Holyoke News. “I’m honored to be competing at Nationals and I’m looking forward to being able to support everyone throughout the weekend. We always hope to do well and just feel positive about what we accomplish in the arena.”
“It was a dream come true,” Bates said of her win in an email to Mount Holyoke News. “All of my hard work had paid off.”
"Our season has been great,” Bates continued. “We have a great team that supports one another, something particularly evident when we host our home horse shows. It’s a lot of work, but we make it happen and run smoothly and efficiently.”
Bates suffered an unfortunate riding accident the day after the Zone I Championship and remains in recovery. While she will not be able to compete in this weekend’s competition due to her injuries, she still looks forward to supporting her teammates.
“I feel proud knowing that I helped get the team to Nationals, and will still be going with them and supporting everyone, coaching from the sidelines,” Bates said.
Sofia Ramon ’27 contributed fact-checking.