Hunt Seat equestrian team opens season with impressive showings at William & Mary, CNU

Saturday, September 21

Williamsburg, VA

10:00 AM

Liberty University Club Sports

William & Mary

Liberty Equestrian team William and Mary

Liberty celebrated its Reserve Champion team showing at Saturday's Region 4 show hosted by William & Mary.

Hunt Seat equestrian team opens season with impressive showings at William & Mary, CNU

9/27/2024 12:09:00 PM | Equestrian

Liberty posed strong finishes in its Region 4 regular-season debuts, led by John Hutchinson's High Point Rider honors.

Gallery: (9-27-2024) Equestrian-William-and-Mary

Liberty University's Hunt Seat equestrian team competed at Christopher Newport University and the College of William & Mary in their first two Region 4 shows of the fall semester last weekend and experienced tremendous success at both.

Against William & Mary in Saturday's show at Willow Pond Farm in Toano, Va., the team won the Reserve Championship and had some standout performances.

John Hutchinson, a junior from Tennessee, won the Open Fences division and placed second in Open Flat to earn High Point Rider honors while Tristan Battin, a senior from New Jersey, finished third in Intermediate Flat and also in Intermediate Fences.

Among women's riders, freshman Madeleine Hammond won the Novice Flat division, followed by Stephanie Russack, a senior from New York. Abby Griffith, a freshman from Vienna, Va., placed second in Intermediate Fences and senior Claire Hutchinson placed third in Intermediate Flat. Two Lady Flames placed in the Introduction category with Sophia Golden taking second and Lane Steffey third.

On Sunday, the team traveled to Foxtail Farm in Smithfield, Va., to compete in another Region 4 show hosted by CNU. The Flames and Lady Flames finished third with several strong performances, led by a first-place finish in Limit Flat and third-place showing in Limit Fences by Katie Staib, a freshman from Pennsylvania.

Freshman Caroline Roberts landed in first place in Pre-Novice Flat while sophomore Anna Pemble came in second in Open Flat and Aliyah Hardesty, a sophomore from Maryland, finished second in Novice Flat. Hutchinson finished third in the Intermediate Flat category. Among the men, Battin placed third place in Intermediate Fences and John Hutchinson captured third in both Open Flat and Open Fences.

Liberty had three riders qualify for the Feb. 22 Region 4 Championships over the weekend — Battin in Intermediate Fences, Hammond in Novice Flat, and Golden in the Introductory event.

Under Head Coach Suzanne Flaig and Assistant Coach Kimberly Counts for Hunt Seat and Emily Cavender for the Western program, the team has a very promising future based on their solid performances throughout the lineup and especially among freshmen. Liberty's Hunt Seat team will travel to Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., next Sunday, Oct. 6.

By Amory Doyle/Student Writer