Tiffin University Debut at Hunt Seat and Western Regional Finals Success
Eric Pettigrew qualified for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Semifinals in Western Beginner Horsemanship. The competition will be held at West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas March 20-22.
"Eric has worked hard for this. Even before the team was officially established he started going to watch competitions. He has been attending extra practices to improve his skill and ability and earned this accomplishment," said Head Coach Julie Vogel.
Six of eight equestrian athletes placed in their competition. "We had two sophomore riders, Elizabeth Buskey and Alison Ditman, qualify and ride in both Hunt Seat and Western. This is a very unique accomplishment. Eighty-Eight riders competed in the competition and only two other riders qualified in Hunt and Western. We also have a freshman, Melissa Cassidy, qualify for Regionals after 8 competitions and a Junior, Kaitlin Foster, qualify in two divisions for Regionals. Most athletes require more than 8 competitions to earn 35 points and rarely does someone qualify for two divisions. These athletes have worked hard this year and we are so proud of them. Our Hunt Seat Team and our Western Team worked on specific strategies to improve their performances and their competition results reflected their hard work. The Equestrian team is only two years old and we have been competing against teams that have been established for years. Our region is large and very strong. Last year's Western National Championship winner was Ohio State University, a team we compete against in our Region," said Coach Vogel.
Western Regional Competition
The Regional Competition was held at Lake Erie College in Concord, Ohio. Riders had to qualify for the competition by earning 35 points. Only those riders who received a first or second place moved on to the National Semifinals. Pettigrew is a senior majoring in Marketing in the school of Business at Tiffin University and will be graduating in May of 2009. Pettigrew is a scholar athlete and also played soccer for TU. He is from Reading, Ohio near Cincinnati and placed 2nd in the Beginner Horsemanship, qualifying him for the National Semifinals.
Other members who qualified for Regional Competition in Western were:
Megan Bates, senior (Delta, Ohio) Beginner Horsemanship placed 5th ;
Elizabeth Buskey, sophomore (Rootstown, Ohio) Intermediate Horsemanship;
Melissa Cassidy, freshman (Fostoria, Ohio) Beginner Horsemanship placed 3rd.;
Alison Ditman, sophomore, (Winterhaven, Florida) Intermediate Horsemanship placed 6th ; Amanda Hoile, sophomore (Dublin, Ohio) Beginner Horsemanship placed 4th ;
Trisha Hellein, sophomore,( Latrobe, Pennsylvania) Beginner Horsemanship placed 6th.
The TU team placed 4th out of 8 teams in high points for the year. In first place was Ohio State University, 2nd place was a tie between Lake Erie College and Ohio University, 3rd place Oberlin College, 4th place Tiffin University, 5th place University of Akron and 6th place College of Wooster.
Regional Hunter Seat Competition
Tiffin University also qualified three riders in the Regional Hunter Seat Competition. Riders needed to earn 35 points to compete. Elizabeth Buskey and Alison Ditman qualified in both the Western and Hunter Seat Regional Competition. Buskey competed in Walk Trot Canter and Ditman competed in Novice Flat, taking 6th place. Kaitlin Foster qualified in two divisions - Novice Flat and Intermediate Fences. She was unable to compete due to an injury sustained just prior to the competition.
The Tiffin University Equestrian Hunter Seat Team took 4th place for year high points competing against 10 teams. First place, Ohio University, 2nd place Lake Erie College, 3rd place Ohio State University, 4th place Tiffin University, 5th place Oberlin College, and 6th place University of Akron.