Oct. 30, 2005

STONY BROOK, NY - The Stony Brook Invitational marked the start of the second half of the fall season for the Pioneer equestrian team. With three competitions completed, the Pioneers are looking to build on past successes and continue forward with improved performances.

As usual, the competition started with Class 7, Open Flat. Junior team co-captain Ashley Coppola was first to compete and started her day out of the ribbons. The junior duo of Catherine Coyle and Danielle Curcio were next up in Section B. The duo found themselves facing the same fate as Coppola, with no points for either competitor. In the third and final section, SHU was represented by Lauren Pierce, Jessica Reynolds and Jackie Covert. Reynolds was able to break the two-class no-point barrier, with a 5th place finish. Pierce and Covert both put in strong rides, but found themselves outside of scoring range.

In Intermediate Flat, Sara Spagna and Brittany Bridgman again found themselves competing in the same section. For their efforts, Bridgman was awarded a 3rd place finish and Spagna a reserve. Bridgman's performance on the flat represented her best collegiate effort to-date.

Open Equitation over Fences followed where Covert & Coyle were first to return to the ring. Covert piloted her draw to a third place finish, and Coyle a 6th. In Section B, Pierce matched Covert's performance, finishing in 3rd place. With 4 points added to her aggregate totals, Pierce claims a 4th week atop the Zone 2, Region 4 High Point Rider standings.

The Intermediate Fences riders were next to take to the show ring. Bridgman rode in Section A, finishing just out of the ribbons. In Section B, Curcio and Coppola returned to the ring where they finished in 4th and 6th place, respectively. In Section C, Reynolds finished with no further points on the day. Coppola looks to next weekend to earn her second consecutive trip to the post-season.

The final division before lunch was Novice Fences. With Ashley Carr a scratch, Kelly Johnson became the first rider into the ring. With a strong trip, Johnson found herself riding to second place honors for a second week and closing out the morning for the Pioneers.

After lunch, Johnson was first back into the ring for the SHU Equestrians. With a 4th place finish, Johnson improved on last week's finish. Nicole Lay rounded out the division with a strong class that landed her out of scoring range.

In Class 2B1, Cintrece Brown and Jordan Dube took to the ring. Dube rode to her second consecutive 4th place finish. Brown finished in 6th place, which marked a season best performance. In addition, this was Brown's first collegiate ribbon since joining the team last spring. Class 2B2 followed with freshman Allison Reinhardt riding to a second place finish. Reinhardt's ribbon was a repeat of her performance at last weekend's competition. Lindsey Rhynders rode to close out the Advanced section of Walk/Trot/Canter. In a large class of 9, Rhynders found herself out of the ribbons.

Kelly McGovern closed out the show for the Pioneers in her Beginner Walk/Trot/Canter class. With 11 contestants in the ring, McGovern battled for scoring position, but found herself out of scoring range.

With a total of 26 points on the day, the Sacred Heart Equestrians rode to a 6th place finish.

Team Totals: Long Island University - CW Post: 36; Columbia University: 33; Stony Brook University: 32; St. Joseph's College & Fairfield University: 31; Sacred Heart University: 26; Yale University: 23; Dowling College: 16; NYU: 13; Molloy College: 11; Hofstra University: 2.