2005 Championships

Savannah Riders Take Two Titles at the ANRC National Intercollegiate Equitation Championship
by Pam Whitfield

Savannah College of Art & Design of Georgia won the hunter seat equitation phase to clinch the team title at the 28th Annual Affiliated National Riding Commission’s National Intercollegiate Equitation Championship, April 16-17, hosted by Sweet Briar College (Va.). SCAD junior Jordan Siegel took home the title of individual champion for the second time in her college career.

Siegel, who won the top individual award as a freshman in 2003, was joined by teammates Ashley Kelly and Hattie Saltonstall. Siegel originally prepared for the competition with her 2003 mount, Triple Threat, but when an injury sidelined the junior hunter, she switched to Sculpture, a SCAD-owned horse. “I was part of an amazing team this year,” said Siegel. “We had great coaching and every person was vital to our success.”

The SCAD riders edged out second place team Sweet Briar College (Va.) by a little more than two points in close competition; the University of Virginia was third by only 0.06 points. UVA rider Whitney Roper finished second to Siegel by only one-fifth of a point, and Sweet Briar College’s Erin Gibbs was third.

Although the competition was fierce through the final phase, a hunter trials type course on a rolling grass hillside, the SCAD riders never wavered in their focus. “We try to go into each phase and ride our best in each phase, to ride our plan,” stated Courtney Peterson, who co-coached the SCAD team with Andrew Lustig. “We didn’t keep track of which team was leading. Going into the awards ceremony, we didn’t even know we had won, so it was a very nice surprise.”

The ANRC National Championship is a U.S. Equestrian Federation-sanctioned event. The championship showcases the American forward riding system and the sporting horse. Judged on equitation, it rewards diversified skills in a three-phase competition. Competitors complete a dressage sportif ride, an outdoor hunter trials course and a USEF Medal-type hunter seat equitation course. Riders ride the same horse throughout the competition, and jumps do not exceed three feet in height. They also sit for a written test on riding theory and equine science. This year the competition allowed teams of three riders rather than four, with one score being dropped.

This year the ANRC Nationals presented a Sportsmanship Award, won by Krista Steinmetz from Purdue University. Steinmetz came to the championships alone—no team, no coach—and scored 97 percent on the written test, setting a new record.

Twelve schools sent teams of riders. California Poly Pomona, Delaware Valley, and Purdue came to the national competition for the first time. Cal Poly Pomona and Christopher Newport leased local horses from Virginia colleges. Kip Rosenthal of Brewster, NY, and Rita Timpanaro of Smithtown, NY, judged the riding phases of competition, while Marion Lee of Leesburg, Va., judged the written phase.

2005 Intercollegiate Championship Results

ANRC National Intercollegiate Riding Championship
Saturday, April 16 & Sunday, April 17, 2005

Hosted by Sweet Briar College

OVERALL TEAM COMPETITION

1st: Savannah College of Art and Design 173.92

2nd: Sweet Briar College 171.89

3rd: University of Virginia 171.83

4th: Virginia Intermont College 166.99

5th: St. Andrews Presbyterian College 157.14

6th: Goucher College 150.51

OVERALL INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION

1st: 132 Jordan Siegel  87.88 Savannah College of Art and Design

2nd: 141 Whitney Roper  87.68 University of Virginia

3rd: 137 Erin Gibbs  86.90 Sweet Briar College

4th: 140 Siobhan Fitzgerald  86.28 Virginia Intermont College

5th: 111 Hattie Saltonstall  86.04 Savannah College of Art and Design

6th: 115 Karen Dennehy  84.21 Sweet Briar College

TEAM WRITTEN COMPETITION

1st: Virginia Intermont College 182.00

2nd: St. Andrews Presbyterian College 167.05

3rd: Centenary College 167.00

4th: Sweet Briar College 166.50

5th: University of Virginia 163.50

6th: Christopher Newport University 160.00

INDIVIDUAL WRITTEN COMPETITION

1st: 138 Krista Steinmetz  97.00 Purdue University

2nd: 140 Siobhan Fitzgerald  93.00 Virginia Intermont College

3rd: 101 Carrie Nass  90.00 Centenary College

4th: 133 Christina Kalinski  89.50 St. Andrews Presbyterian College

5th: 117 Ericka Jewell  89.00 Virginia Intermont College

6th: 123 Amy Siebert  88.00 Delaware Valley College

TEAM DRESSAGE SPORTIF COMPETITION

1st: University of Virginia 69.04

2nd; Savannah College of Art and Design 68.24

3rd: Sweet Briar College 68.20

4th; Virginia Intermont College 67.16

5th: St. Andrews Presbyterian College 63.24

6th; Goucher College 59.08

INDIVIDUAL DRESSAGE SPORTIF COMPETITION

1st: 140 Siobhan Fitzgerald  227.50 | 36.40 Virginia Intermont College

2nd: 141 Whitney Roper  222.00 | 35.52 University of Virginia

3rd: 137 Erin Gibbs  218.25 | 34.92 Sweet Briar College

4th: 111 Hattie Saltonstall  219.75 | 34.36 Savannah College of Art and Design

5th: 132 Jordan Siegel  216.75 | 33.88 Savannah College of Art and Design

6th: 129 Lauren Richardson  209.50 | 33.52 University of Virginia

TEAM HUNTER TRIALS EQUITATION COMPETITION

1st: Sweet Briar College 52.61

2nd: Savannah College of Art and Design 52.35

3rd: University of Virginia 50.29

4th: Virginia Intermont College 50.03

5th: Goucher College 47.93

6th: St. Andrews Presbyterian College 46.50

INDIVIDUAL HUNTER TRIALS EQUITATION COMPETITION

1st: 137 Erin Gibbs  89.50 | 26.85 Sweet Briar College

2nd: 111 Hattie Saltonstall  90.50 | 26.55 Savannah College of Art and Design

3rd: 132 Jordan Siegel  88.00 | 25.80 Savannah College of Art and Design

4th: 126 Jodie Weber  85.88 | 25.76 Sweet Briar College

5th: 129 Lauren Richardson 85.25 | 25.58 University of Virginia

6th: 107 Tim Leuzarder 86.50 | 25.35 Centenary College

TEAM HUNTER SEAT EQUITATION COMPETITION

1st: Savannah College of Art and Design 53.33

2nd: University of Virginia 52.50

3rd: Sweet Briar College 51.08

4th: Virginia Intermont College 49.80

5th: St. Andrews Presbyterian College 47.40

6th: Goucher College 43.50

INDIVIDUAL HUNTER SEAT EQUITATION COMPETITION

1st: 132 Jordan Siegel  96.00 | 28.20 Savannah College of Art and Design

2nd: 141 Whitney Roper  91.50 | 27.45 University of Virginia

3rd: 112 Janelle Harcus  87.00 | 26.10 St. Andrews Presbyterian College

4th: 115 Karen Dennehy  86.50 | 25.95 Sweet Briar College

5th: TIE 140 Siobhan Fitzgerald 84.00 | 25.20 Virginia Intermont College

5th: TIE 106 Lauren Wade 84.00 | 25.20 Sweet Briar College