After last weekend's equestrian performances, only one Tufts rider was left standing.
Sophomore Valerie Wood, following two strong showings at the Cacchione Cup on Saturday and in the regional tournament on Sunday, earned a spot at the Zones competition next weekend in Greenfield, MA. Wood could potentially qualify for the National Championship in Tennessee later this month, if she is successful at Zones.
The Cacchione Cup hosted by Boston University represented the team's final full squad competition. Unfortunately for the team, the weather conditions made riding nearly unbearable and riders were forced to spend most of the day standing in the rain. It was so bad, in fact, that had Regionals not been scheduled for the next day, Saturday's meet may have been canceled.
"It made the show almost unpredictable," senior captain Ellie Langevin said. "The horses weren't cooperating, and definitely tension was up."
Despite the unfavorable weather, Woods, sophomore Stuart Mueller, senior Adriane Jimenez, and sophomore Jessica Angerson all managed to overcome the elements and qualify for the Regional Tournament.
Wood led the four into Regionals, placing first in the advanced Walk, Trot, and Kanter (WTC) division of the competition.
Though she did not qualify for Regionals, sophomore Rachel Vaskevitch nonetheless had an impressive performance as well, coming in ninth in the open division.
The Jumbos success on Saturday set the stage for a competitive regional tournament on Sunday in Hanover, MA.
"It's usually us, BU, and Stonehill that battle it out for first, second and third in the region," Langevin said. "Stonehill took first on Saturday, with a team of nearly 50 riders as well as funding as a varsity sport."
According to Angerson, Stonehill is so good that "they'll probably go to Nationals as a team."
Nevertheless, Tufts managed to hold its own at Regionals, where it rode to a third place finish.
"The rest of the region was pretty surprised," Langevin said. "We worked our butts off to get back to third. I'm so proud of our team."
Wood once again led the team through the show, placing first in the advanced Walk, Trot and Kanter.
The Jumbos developed over the season, coming together when it truly counted.
"We had a rocky start but the whole team has stepped it up with the last three shows," Angerson said.
Wood once again led the team through the show, placing first in the advanced Walk, Trot, and Kanter division for the second day in a row. Her first place finishes qualified her for the Zone's competition next weekend.
"We have a good feeling about her," Angerson said. "But we don't want to jinx it."
The nation is divided into eight zones, with the top two riders from each advancing to the National Championships in Tennessee. Last year, Tufts sent Stewart Mueller to Nationals, and four years ago Hally Phillips won the top honors for an intercollegiate rider. This year Wood represents the teams lone chance at national success.
Interestingly, Wood joined the team last spring and is just one of the young riders with great promise.
"The team's going to look really strong in the next two years," Angerson said. "We're all going to have a lot more experience."
The squad competes in Zone one, Region four, where it has been either high point team or reserve high point team in three of the last four years. The team rides in eight shows a year, and has nearly 20 members.
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