BY ANNA BALLOU '20
Mount Holyoke Equestrian traveled to Emory, Va., where they competed in their final leg of the 2016-2017 Tournament of Champions series at the Winter II Classic. The show began with intermediate flat, where Mika McKinney '18 saw a nice ride for a sixth place finish. Bridget Finnerty '17 followed with a beautiful ride in open over fences where she claimed the first place spot in an incredibly competitive field. In intermediate over fences, Taryn Isenburg '18 completed a nice ride for a seventh place finish and returned to the ring to compete in a section of the High Collegiate Medal. While she rode well, she did not make the callback.
The tournament continued with an excellent ride from Lexi Lobdell '20, who finished fifth in novice flat. In open flat, Mollie Kowalchik '18 performed incredibly well in an exceptionally strong class. She finished with an impressive third overall. Sabrina Fox '18 concluded the team riding portion of the day with a strong fourth overall finish in novice over fences.
In addition to notable performances from veteran riders, several MHC riders also made their tournament debut including Sesil Lee '20 and Jordan Green '19. Lee placed fourth in a competitive section of walk trot and Green rode to a fifth place finish in walk trot canter.
Mount Holyoke concluded the tournament with a total of 22 points, earning them an 11th place overall finish. The team returns to action March 4 for their final regular season home show.