10 Years Straight! Riding Continues Success
The St. Lawrence Riding Team won the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Zone 2 Region 2 title for the 10th year in a row on Sunday, February 23. Going into the final weekend of shows, the Saints were behind Syracuse by three points in the regional standings. After a Saturday show at Cazenovia, the Saints finished six points ahead of Syracuse. The Saints became Region 2 Champions on Sunday at Elsa Gunnison Appleton Riding Hall, beating Syracuse by three points. The Saints finished the regular season with 302 points, six points ahead of second-place Syracuse.
Winning the region was a team effort with Maeve Cruikshank ‘20 winning the limit flat class on Saturday, Kayla Burns ‘21 and Mathilda Kunz ‘23 winning their classes on both Saturday and Sunday, Merle Beach ‘20 earning high point rider honors on Sunday with wins in the open fences and open flat classes, along with many other contributions from the entire team.
“It all came down to our walk-trot rider, Kayla Burns. During her division we were all placed around the ring giving her reassuring looks to help keep her confidence up since she knew the region title came down to her division. She rode incredibly, won her class, and gave us the last few points we needed to win the region. It was really special because it couldn’t have happened if we hadn’t all come together to keep her going,” stated Maeve Cruikshank.
SLU Riding has a reputation of being a strong contender in their region each year which they have continued to uphold by winning the region for the last 10 years. Head Coach Mary Drueding also continues to bring top riders onto the team which brings success and keeps the standard of riding high. The team has a strong bond and worked hard to earn this achievement by supporting each other throughout the season.
“Winning the region was really exciting because we were battling closely with Syracuse for the top spot throughout the whole regular season. They were incredibly strong this year. We went into our last regular season competition weekend three points behind them which was very nerve wracking but St. Lawrence Riding, in all four years that I’ve been on the team, has been fantastic under pressure. We all trust each other’s abilities and support each other in high pressure moments which helps us all perform our best in these situations,” mentioned Cruikshank.
IHSA Regionals will take place here in Canton at the Elsa Gunnison Appleton Riding Hall on Saturday, March 28, where individual qualifiers will be looking for a chance to qualify for Zones. St. Lawrence will also host the IHSA Zone 2 Championship on Saturday, April 4 where the Saints will compete for a chance to earn a 10th straight trip to the IHSA Nationals.