LAURINBURG, N.C. - The Savannah College of Art and Design equestrian team captured their fifth American National Riding Commission's Intercollegiate Equitation Championship April 18-19 at St. Andrews Presbyterian College.
The Bees, who also had won ANRC team titles in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008, edged the Centenary College by 5.90 points (181.91-176.01) in the 10-team competition.
The championship was divided into three phases - dressage sportif, hunter trials equitation, and hunter seat. The dressage sportif portion counted 40 percent of the total score while the hunter trials equitation and hunter seat equitation counted 30 percent each. SCAD captured the team hunter seat equitation and hunter trials equitation phases and placed second in the dressage sportif category.
SCAD's
Kelse Bonham captured the individual title, besting 35 other riders for the title. It's the fourth time a SCAD rider has won the individual title and the first since Jordan Siegel won the 2006 competition. Bonham won by 0.11 points (92.10-91.99) over Centenary's Lindsay Mohr. Bonham's teammates
Meredith Gallagher finished in third place (87.41) and
Chelsea McCarthy was fifth (86.41).
Bonham won both the hunter trials equitation and hunter seat phases while coming in second place in the dressage sportif one.
Gallagher placed second in the hunter trial phase and third in dressage sportif. McCarthy came in second in the hunter seat category and third in the hunter trails.
SCAD will send four riders to the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association's National Championship April 23-25 at the Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tenn.