IEA Team Advances to National Competition

The group consisted of both individual qualifiers and riders representing the Chatham Hall team. The individual competition was held on Saturday, with Chatham Hall riders Athena Critides ’21 in Novice Fences, Caroline Hawthorne ’19 in Intermediate Fences, and Chandler Runnells ’19 in Open Fences competing throughout the day. Both Critides and Hawthorne received honorable mention in their respective classes, while Runnells received a second for her trip, qualifying her for National Finals in Syracuse, NY.

Sunday was the team competition with the top three teams at the end of the day qualified for National Finals. The day started off well with Susie Wu ’18 riding beautifully and earning a sixth, giving Chatham Hall one point to start off the day. Up next was Isabella Hubbard ‘19 in Novice Flat, who earned a third. Hawthorne rode in the Intermediate Flat and earned the team another third place ribbon. Finally, Runnells finished just out of the ribbons in the open flat to finish out the morning. The afternoon consisted of the over fences rounds, with Hubbard clenching a win in Novice Fences giving the team seven points and moving us up in the standings. Hawthorne rode next and, with a beautiful trip, earned a second-place finish. Last to ride was Runnells in Open Fences, with a tough first jump she finished in seventh.

At the end of the weekend, the team tied for first place with 21 points overall. In the tie-breaker, Chatham Hall ended up second with one less blue ribbon than the winning team. The second place finish qualifies the team for National Finals in Syracuse, NY on April 19th-22nd. The team is very excited to qualify and get the chance to ride for a national title!