Equestrian riders reach regional competition

05/06/05
By Denishia Salter, Staff Writer Seniors Johanna Dreyfuss and Stephanie Galbraith placed the Seton Hill University (SHU) Equestrian Team on the map by both qualifying for and competing in the Zone III Regions III Regional Finals on April 3, 2005.
SENIORS JOHANNA DREYFUSS AND STEPHANIE GALBRAITH
The SHU Equestrian team participates in a national organization where members collect points throughout the season in order to qualify for the regional and national tournaments. According to Head Coach Abbe Wagenblast, in order to point out of the division, riders must attain 35 points and Dreyfuss and Galbraith did just that. “I was thrilled that Johanna and I made it to regionals together,” said Galbraith. “It was a big thing for our team, because we have been working hard all year and improving each semester,” said Dreyfuss. With Division I schools like Penn State University and West Virginia University participating in the tournament, the women of SHU wanted to compete as well as possible. “This was my first time making it to regionals. It was fun and nerve wrecking all at the same,” said Dreyfuss. “There weren’t a lot of teams there, but there were big-name schools, and we were just trying to fight our way in there with them.” Both women finished in fifth place respectively; Dreyfuss in the Advanced Walk/Trot/Canter event and Stephanie in the Novice Equitation on the flat. “We didn’t advance to Zones but we had a good showing and represented our school well,” said Dreyfuss. According to Dreyfuss, going to regionals and competing in the cold weather was all worth it. “It definitely was a good experience,” she said. Both Dreyfuss and Galbraith will be graduating in December 2005. This leaves them with one more semester to compete. They are going to be the only two returning members on the team next fall, and will be joined by three incoming freshmen. During their last year, Dreyfuss and Galbraith decided to move up in class to compete against higher competition. Galbraith will advance to Intermediate Equitation on the flat and Dreyfuss will move up to Novice on the flat and fences. Dreyfuss and Galbraith’s leaving in the fall places pressure on the three freshmen throughout the rest of the season in the spring. “It’s going to be interesting to see how we do and what type of talent the freshmen will bring,” said Galbraith. “It’s going to be hard with the absence of Johanna and Stephanie,” said Wagenblast. Still, even with such a small team competing in a total of six horse shows, alongside 12 regional college teams, spanning from Pennsylvania to West Virginia, Wagenblast is positive about the incoming freshman class and would like to maintain this level of competitiveness. “I hope to do just as well next season if not better,” said Wagenblast. To view all articles by this writer Click here. Posted by Setonian Online at May 6, 2005 08:52 AM