All three of Delaware Valley University’s equestrian competition teams — Dressage, Hunt Seat, and Western — successfully qualified for their respective national championship events, with teams and individual riders set to compete for top honors in the nation.
The Dressage team is sending five individual student-athletes to nationals in four different events:
- Carley Sweigart
- Abigail Hinkle
- Paige Gatz
- Kaye Feddo
- Rebekah Meadows
The Hunt Seat team will be represented by eight individual student-athletes across 11 different events:
- Evan Holt
- Kerrin Long
- Grace Allen
- Brooke Wolfinger
- Liam Swimelar
- Maggie Mitchell
- Elsa Heacock
- Madison Heitman
The Western team will feature five student-athletes competing in nine events:
- Brooke Wolfinger
- Alicia Smoot
- Alice Kaufman
- Lauren Gordner
- Kara Bishop
To advance to the National finals, the Hunt Seat team dominated the field in Zone 3, Region 4 of the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association. They won the region by 145 points and were the lone team from the region to advance to the IHSA Zone 3 Championships. At Zones, the coaches selected a rider to represent the team in each class. The top two teams at the end of Zones qualify for Nationals.
“We would not have been able to get here without the efforts of the entire team throughout the season,” said Dr. Cory Kieschnick, Chair of DelVal’s Department of Equine Science and Management and Director of Equestrian Sports. “At Zones, our first-year riders had three very strong finishes, helping us secure the nationals-qualifying Zone 3 Reserve Champion title.”
The Aggies finished as Reserve Champion to punch their ticket to nationals, which takes place May 2-4 at the Tryon International Show Complex in North Carolina.
The Western team also competes under the IHSA, and riders qualify individually for regionals in the same way as Hunt Seat. The Aggies were the regional high point team and advanced straight to one of the three semifinals events in the country. At semifinals, the top four individuals advance to Nationals, and the top three teams advance for the team competition. The Aggies finished as Reserve Champion to earn their spot as a team.
DelVal’s Dressage Team competes in the Intercollegiate Dressage Association. In order to qualify for Nationals, a team must finish in the top two for the regular season. The Aggies clinched their spot with a strong end to their season, with three consecutive wins at their last three shows. The IDA National Championships are April 24-26 at the National Equestrian Center in St. Louis.
Learn more about Delaware Valley University and its equestrian programs.
