REEDSVILLE, West Virginia - The Wilmington College equestrian team sent five riders to Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Western Semifinals hosted by West Virginia University this weekend.
Three individuals - Ciara Lawson, Ashley Howard and Brooke Pitts - placed in the top three of their respective divisions, qualifying all three for the national show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in May.
Lawson placed third in the Open Horsemanship division while Howard and Pitts were runners-up in the Rookie Horsemanship and Level 1 Horsemanship divisions respectively. A top-four placement at the semifinals earned a spot at the national show.
"The equestrian team has had a wonderful season, and we went into the Regionals feeling good about ourselves," Head Coach Stephanie McConnell said. "At the semifinals, all five riders showed up with their game faces, and three advanced and the other two made their finals which is quite an achievement."
Kayla Butler and Bryanna Warner also competed in the semifinals with Butler talking fifth in the Ranch Riding division and Warner placed eighth in the Open Horsemanship division.
It is believed that only two prior Wilmington riders have ever qualified for the nationals. Lawson, Howard and Pitts are the first Quakers to advance to that stage in over a decade.
"Looking towards finals, I have all the confidence in the world that these student-athletes will represent Wilmington College to the best of their ability," said McConnell.
