Hunt Seat equestrian team leads Sweet Briar going into Saturday’s final Region 4 show

Saturday, January 25

Laurinburg, NC

10:00 AM

Liberty University Club Sports

St. Andrews University

Lady Flames junior Anna Pemble finished first in Open Flat and third in Open Fences at Mary Washington in Feb. 1 Region 4 show in Fredericksburg, Va. (File photo by KJ Jugar).

Hunt Seat equestrian team leads Sweet Briar going into Saturday’s final Region 4 show

2/12/2025 4:28:00 PM | Equestrian

Liberty won the first of two shows at Mary Washington in early February after its Western team finished fourth and fifth at St. Andrews.

Liberty Hunt Seat Equestrian Team at Mary Washington — Liberty's Hunt Seat team earned overall Champion honors on the first of two days of IHSA Region 4 shows at Mary Washington on Feb. 1.

Liberty University's Hunt Seat equestrian team strengthened its first-place position in the IHSA Region 4 standings by winning its first of two shows at the University of Mary Washington, Feb. 1 in Fredericksburg, Va.

Lady Flames senior Giulia D'Addesi earned High Point Rider honors after finishing first in Intermediate Fences and Limit Flat while Flames senior John Hutchison was the Reserve High Point Rider after placing first in Open Fences and second in Open Flat to help Liberty emerge as Team Champion with 42 points. Host Mary Washington was the Reserve Champion with 41 points followed by Randolph Macon (36), Sweet Briar (32), William & Mary (21), Richmond (20), Christopher Newport (19), and Longwood (18).

Lady Flames junior Anna Pemble finished first in Open Flat and third in Open Fences, freshman Sophia Battin landed in first in Limit Fences, junior Aliyah Hardesty won a blue ribbon in Novice Flat, senior Tristan Battin and junior Lyla Ludwig tied for second in Intermediate Flat, sophomore Madeleine Hammond placed second in Limit Fences, and senior Lexi Evans came in third in the Introductory division.

Hutchinson (Open Fences, Open Flat) and D'Addesi (Limit Flat) qualified for the Region 4 Championship show on Feb. 22 at the Liberty Mountain Equestrian Center along with fellow seniors Tristan Battin (Intermediate Flat) and Hannah Summerlin (Novice Flat).

In the second show on Feb. 2, Hutchinson won the Open Fences division and Pemble captured a blue ribbon in the Open Flat division. D'Addesi took home second in Intermediate Fences and freshman Abby Griffith landed in second in Limit Flat. Senior Claire Hutchinson won the Intermediate Flat division and took third in Limit Fences. Sophia Batton took a white ribbon for third place in Limit Fences, junior Caroline Roberts placed second in Novice Flat and senior Lane Steffey earned second place in the Introductory division.

Liberty settled for fourth place in the show with 36 points, behind Champion Sweet Briar (42) and Mary Washington and Christopher Newport, which tied for Reserve Champion honors with 37 points. Randolph Macon (25), Longwood (24), and William & Mary (19) rounded out the field.

Going into this Saturday's regular-season-ending Region 4 show at Sweet Briar, the Flames and Lady Flames hold a 10-point lead on the Vixens in the regional standings, 255-245, followed bv Mary Washington (223), Randolph Macon (214), William & Mary (174), CNU (172), Longwood (121), Richmond (52), and Hampton (1).

On Jan. 25-26, in Laurinburg, N.C., Liberty's Western equestrian team finished fifth behind host St. Andrews University, North Carolina State University, Clemson, and Virginia Tech.

Individually, sophomore Alexandra Dixon placed second in Open Horsemanship and second in Level Two Ranch Riding to qualify in that event for this Friday through Sunday's Region 4 Championships in Raleigh, N.C. Senior Abigail Rice placed third in Level One Horsemanship to also qualify for regionals in that event.

On the second day of competition, Liberty moved up to fourth place ahead of the Hokies, paced by Dixon's second-place showing in Open Reining and third-place finish in Open Horsemanship. Evans, who splits time between the Hunt Seat and Western teams, placed second in Rookie A Horsemanship and senior Tiffany Walker landed in second in Level Two Horsemanship.

By Amory Doyle/Student Writer