The equestrian team was greeted by a rainy Saturday morning in Waterbury, Conn., but the conditions in the outdoor barns, where the riders waited before competition, did not hinder the Bears from capturing their second victory in as many tries. Accumulating 41 out of a possible 49 points, Bruno soundly defeated its rival University of Connecticut by five points, winning the Teikyo Post.
The victory extended the team's lead over UConn and Johnson & Wales in the overall regional standings to 13 and 14 points, respectively. The final standings will decide what team makes the trip to Zone Championships, where teams compete for a coveted nationals berth.
"I was very happy with the team's performance," said co-captain Alexis Gilbard '06. "The morning went well. The afternoon went even better."
Although the Bears finished with a comfortable margin of victory, much of the day was spent in a close battle for first. Ironically enough, the least inexperienced competitors, the walk-trot and walk-trot-canter classes, decided the competition in the last few rides.
Showing in the walk-trot class were Anna Mori '06 and Kelly Qu '08, whose victories in their respective divisions put the Bears ahead of UConn 34-31. With only the walk-trot-canter class remaining, the team's fate was left up to Emily Cole '08, who delivered, winning her division and sealing the show for the Bears.
"Our walk-trot was unbelievable," co-captain Jamie Peddy '06 said. "They won every single division, but one. They are going to be amazing."
The final classes to compete may have capped off the victory, but the win would not have been possible without stellar performances from the women in higher divisions.
Led by Whitney Keefe '08 - one of three Brown riders that competed at Nationals last spring - the team began just as strongly as it finished. Keefe won the open division of fences and finished second in the flat. At the end of the day, she and five other riders, each with a first- and second-place finish to her credit, had a rideoff to decide who would earn reserve high point rider distinctions.
Competing against formidable opponents, including Courtney Pope '07 - a recent transfer from Bates College - Keefe drew a mild horse and won the rideoff. She also credited her success to fair judging throughout the day.
"I thought the judge was good. She was very consistent, which is good because you then know what she is looking for," Keefe said.
After having a difficult ride over the fences, Peddy - the team's most accomplished rider - was able to recover and contribute to the team's effort with a win in the open division of the flats.
"I had a good ride over the fences, except I was the first person to ride my horse for the day and I didn't know it had a tendency of running out, but the flats were much better," Peddy said.
Also garnering a crucial first-place distinction was Kim Mickenberg '07 in the novice flats class.
This was the Bears' first competition for many of the new upperclassmen, who were only recently cleared by the NCAA to compete. The team's first-years are still waiting for clearance, however, so the team has not yet been able to show a full squad.
The team returns to action this Saturday in a big meet at UConn, where the number of riders each team can enter in each division will not be limited, allowing a showing of the whole team as long as the NCAA clears the rest of the team in time. Either way, Brown will look to extend its lead in the regional standings and continue in its winning ways.
"I am really happy that our team is starting out so good. Now we just want to continue to build momentum," Keefe said.
