Perfect Weekend Elevates Saints To 3rd Straight High Point Title
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Wally JohnsonAlyssa Bokor was high point rider at Cazenovia on Saturday
Feb. 24: A "perfect" final weekend of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Zone 2, Region 2 show season enabled St. Lawrence University's riding team to overcome a nine point Cazenovia lead and capture regional high point team honors for the third straight year.
Rare back-to-back perfect scores of 49 for the seven events which count toward the team title in a show boosted the Saints to the title. The Saints trailed Cazenovia 247-238 going into a Saturday show at Cazenovia, but trimmed the lead to four points with a 49-44 win over second place Cazenovia in that event and ran away with Sunday's show at the Elsa Gunnison Appleton Riding Hall as seven of eight point riders won their events for another 49 with Syracuse finishing second with 34 and Cazenovia third with 31. The Saints ended up with a 14-point cushion in the regional high point race.
The Saints also had the high point rider in each of the weekend shows as first-year Alyssa Bokor was high point rider at Cazenovia on Saturday with two wins and Casey Zuraitis won a ride-off with teammate Emily D'Alessandro, who was reserve high point rider, and Cazenovia's Hannah Mueller on Sunday.
In Sunday's show, the Saints swept the open over fences classes with Bokor, Zuraitis and D'Alessandro all winning. Lauryn Tannenhaus, the Saint point rider in intermediate fences, also won as did Grace Segrave, who was the point rider in novice fences. Katherine Figueroa was also a winner in novice fences.
The Saint domination continued on the flat as Zuraitis and D'Alessandro each won open on the flat with Zuraitis as the point rider, Emma Sutphen won in intermediate on the flat and Mackenzie Alderman and Sarah Buck won in novice on the flat with Alderman as the point rider. Walk-trot rider Khoe Tyner completed the Saint perfect score with a win in walk-trot.
Jenna Gunnell and Klare Nevins each took second in advanced walk-trot-canter on Sunday.
At Cazenovia on Saturday, Bokor won her class of open fences and was first in intermediate on the flat. D'Alessandro was first in open flat and second over fences while Zuraitis was first in open flat. Alderman won in intermediate fences, Gwen Bailey was first in novice fences while Jesse Lewis and Molly Croyer each won novice flat classes.
Sheila Murray was first in advanced walk-trot-canter, Tyner won walk-trot and Mary Donohue was third in novice flat and Jenna Gunnell third in advanced walk-trot-canter.
The Saints will host the Regional Championship on March 30 in their next competition.