Hunt Seat riders capture Region 4 regular-season championship, start postseason Saturday at Sweet Briar

Saturday, February 17

Lynchburg, VA

10:00 AM

Liberty University Club Sports

LU Hunt Seat IHSA Show

Lady Flames junior Giulia D'Addesi qualified for Saturday's Region 4 Championships at Sweet Briar by winning both the Limit Fences and Limit Flat competition this past Saturday at the Liberty Mountain Equestrian Center. (Photos by Ryan Anderson)

Hunt Seat riders capture Region 4 regular-season championship, start postseason Saturday at Sweet Briar

2/19/2024 3:19:00 PM | Equestrian

Flames and Lady Flames riders enjoyed a home arena advantage for Saturday's IHSA Region 4 show before concluding the regular season at Sweet Briar, which will also host the Region 4 and Zone 4 Championships.

Gallery: (2-17-2024) Hunt Seat Equestrian show

Liberty University's Hunt Seat equestrian team clinched first place in the Region 4 regular season after winning Saturday's IHSA show at the Liberty Mountain Equestrian Center and finishing runner-up to Randolph-Macon College in Sunday's final show at Reserve Champion Sweet Briar College, which will also host this Saturday's Region 4 championships and the April 6 Zone 4 finals in Amherst, Va.

Equestrian-John-Hutchinson-Liberty — Flames junior John Hutchinson won the Open Flat competition on Saturday.

Riding in their home arena, the Flames and Lady Flames secured seven first-place showings, including in Open Fences by senior Maggie Saunders and Open Flat by junior John Hutchinson.

Flames senior Tristan Battin placed first in Intermediate Fences and second in Intermediate Flat and was the Reserve High Point Rider and Lady Flames junior Giulia D'Addesi, who won both Limit Fences and Limit Flat events, earned Champion High Point Rider honors.

Junior Macy Ricker finished first in the Introductory division and freshman Madeline Hammond came in first in Novice Flat.

Together, they paced Liberty to a 43-point team total and first-place finish ahead of Sweet Briar (40), Randolph-Macon (31), William & Mary (29), Christopher Newport (24), and Mary Washington (23).

On Sunday at Sweet Briar, Liberty tied with the host Vixens for second place with 34 points behind the Yellow Jackets' 36-point total. They were followed by William & Mary (30), Mary Washington (25), and CNU (16).

Hammond won her Novice Flat event and Ricker again finished first in Introductory while Saunders placed second in Open Flat, sophomore Anna Pemble took second in Intermediate Flat, freshman Katie Staib was runner-up in both Limit Flat and Limit Fences, senior Kyrsten Patterson rode to a second-place showing in Novice Flat, and Hutchinson came in third in Intermediate Fences.

Saunders competed in Open Flat at the IHSA National Championships in Lexington, Ky., last spring. Liberty qualified as a team and Saunders, Hutchinson, senior Rebekah Honaker (Intermediate Flat) and junior Claire Hutchinson (Limit Flat) have qualified individually for this Saturday's Region 4 show at Sweet Briar, where they will attempt to advance to the Zone 4 Championships with first- or second-place performances. At the Zone competition, the top team and riders will qualify for the April 2-5 IHSA National Championships in Tryon, N.C.