Despite winning seven blue ribbons, the equestrian team fell short in the Wesleyan University Show this weekend at Windcrest Farm in Hebron, Conn. It lost to Zone 1 rival University of Connecticut by a score of 40-39.
The close match came down to the last event, the walk trot canter, in which the Huskies placed first to top the Bears for the first time in four meetings this season. The team's positioning in the regional standings was not affected by the result. The Bears remained in first place in Zone 1 with 143 points, comfortably ahead of the University of Rhode Island's 129 and UConn's 128.
"This weekend was a reminder that we can't get too comfortable," captain Grace Peloquin '07 said. "UConn is still a force to be reckoned with."
The Bears came out strong in their first two events. Whitney Keefe '08 nabbed a blue ribbon in the open fences, and teammates Marissa Geoffroy '07, Gillian Heinecke '07 and Peloquin finished just behind her in third, fifth and sixth place, respectively.
In the intermediate fences, Elizabeth Giliberti '10 contributed seven points to the Bears' cause with her win. Courtney Pope '07 added three more points with her fourth-place finish, and Emma Bogdonoff '10 earned another two points for the Bears by finishing fifth in the novice fences.
Keefe started hot again in the flats portion of the competition, earning a blue ribbon in the open flat. She claimed high point rider and finished second in the event, bringing home high point reserve honors for Brown.
After the team's promising start, however, Brown fell into a lull midway through the flat events. Katie Goetz '08 took first place in the novice flat, with Bogdonoff finishing behind her in second, but the Bears failed to win any of the remaining events. Rachel Lubin '07 took second in the intermediate flat, while Kimberly Mickenberg '07 and Pope tied for third in the event.
Peloquin attributed the team's difficulties in this segment of the meet to the horse it randomly drew. Peloquin said that the horse was unable to pick up the correct lead foot, causing the riders to appear unbalanced.
Nevertheless, Brown staged a comeback later in the show. Kelly Qu '08 finished first in the advanced walk trot canter. Irmak Tasindi '08 matched Qu's blue ribbon with one of her own in her first competition this season in the walk trot. Kristen Beck '08 followed up with a win in the beginning walk trot canter. Stephanie Carmack '08 pinned another blue ribbon for the Bears in the walk trot, with Rachel Kapelke-Dale '07 finishing behind her in third.
But the late surge was not enough to overcome Brown's mid-meet lull. Going into the final event, Brown needed the seven points it would receive with a win in the walk trot to fend off Connecticut. But battling the fleeting daylight and an unruly horse, Lucia Corso '08 could only come up with four, taking third in the final event of the day.
"I thought (Corso) looked beautiful even though she had to work harder than the other riders (to control her horse)," Peloquin said.
Though the Bears were disappointed to lose to their archrivals, they were consoled by the fact that the second-place finish failed to affect their position atop the Zone 1 standings. Still ahead of the Huskies and their other competitors in the region, the Bears took the Wesleyan Show as a wake-up call.
"Any given week one of these teams could come in and beat us so we have to be on the top of our game at all times," Peloquin said.
Putting the sting of this loss behind them, the Bears will focus on winning the last meet of the fall season this Saturday at Connecticut College in Glades Ferry, Conn., to strengthen their position for the upcoming spring season.
"We have to keep widening the gap," Peloquin said. "We can't let down."
