College to seek immediate replacement to lead riding program

EASTON, Mass. (June 24, 2010) – Tarah Watson, head coach of equestrian at Stonehill College, has announced her resignation, effective immediately. The resignation was accepted by Brendan Sullivan, Director of Athletics at the College, on Wednesday.

Watson steps down following three seasons at Stonehill, culminating with the program's first trip to the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) in seven years this past spring by placing second at the IHSA Zone 1 Championships. The Skyhawk riders turned in a strong fourth-place finish at the IHSA Nationals in Lexington, Ky., with senior Kelsey Hill (Dover-Foxcroft, Maine/Foxcroft Academy) earning reserve champion status for Intermediate Equitation on the Flat. A program-record four individuals qualified for nationals in addition to the team qualification.

"I would like to thank Tarah for her three years of service as head coach of the equestrian program," said Sullivan. "She has helped the program reach some important goals during her tenure and we are thankful for her contributions to Stonehill College. We will now focus on identifying our next head coach who will continue the strong tradition of success that this program has created."

Under Watson, Stonehill claimed three-straight IHSA Zone 1, Region 4 championships to run the Skyhawks current streak to four in a row and eight in the last nine years. The team placed in the top three at the Zone 1 championships twice and had six IHSA individual qualifiers under her watch.

A search for Watson's replacement will begin immediately.