Albion Riders Win Regular Season's Final Show
Monday, February 13, 2012
 Sarah Erdman |
 Arielle Smith |
 Brittney Stanton |
 Heather Waldron |
Despite cold temperatures and the added pressure of having Intercollegiate Horse Show Association founder and executive director Bob Cacchione in attendance, the Albion College hunt seat team continued its unbeaten streak at home Feb. 11 as sat at the top of the team scoring ladder over 12 other teams from Michigan and Canada.
Albion riders swept the blue ribbons in seven different divisions from open through walk-trot on the way to the win. Sophomore Brittney Stanton (Rochester Hills/Rochester Adams) won her section of open flat to secure her second trip to IHSA regionals and seniors Jane Fillmore (Hope/St. Johns International School) and Sarah Behrendt (Walled Lake/Lutheran Westland) qualified in novice flat and intermediate flat, respectively. And in her first year of IHSA competition, Meredith Michalec (Rochester Hills/Rochester Adams) qualified for regionals in the advanced walk-trot-canter division.
Other individual wins came from sophomores Heather Waldron (Burt Lake/Petoskey) in novice over fences and from Sarah Erdman (Portage/Portage Central) and Arielle Smith (West Jefferson, Ohio/Madison Plains) in intermediate flat and fences. First-year students Kim Hagel (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East), Nicole Iraola (Ann Arbor/Saline), and Katie Halkett (Albion/Marshall) were not to be out done by scoring wins in their sections of intermediate flat, advanced walk-trot-canter, and walk-trot on the way to the Briton team victory.
The day was made particularly special by the presence of Cacchione, who was making his first visit to Michigan and Albion’s Nancy G. Held Equestrian Center. Cacchione spent the day mingling with riders, parents, and coaches and, as it was his birthday weekend, all of the teams (backed by members of the college’s symphonic band) serenaded him with “Happy Birthday” at the open of the show.
The home meet marked the end of the regular season of competition for the Britons and the qualified riders will compete in the regional meet Feb. 19.
