Schneider and Rossi earn Region 4 championships for fences and flat
Senior Kate Perez (reserve champion, novice flat), senior Kayla Schneider (champion, open fences), senior Alisha Wielgoszinski (reserve champion, walk-trot-canter), junior Rebecca Rossi (champion, novice flat) and senior Diana Cabral (reserve champion, novice fences) all qualified for the IHSA Zone 1 Championships this weekend at Mount Holyoke with their performances on Saturday. |
Schneider | Rossi |
Senior co-captain Kayla Schneider (Vernon, Conn./Rockville) and junior Rebecca Rossi (Cranston, R.I./Bay View Academy) led the Zone 1 qualifiers for Stonehill by winning regional championships in their respective events. Schneider placed first for open equitation over fences, while Rossi took home a first place ribbon for novice equitation on the flat.
Also qualifying for Zone 1 Finals for Stonehill was senior Alisha Wielgoszinski (Amherst, N.H./Brewster Academy) reserve champion in walk-trot-canter. Senior co-captain Kate Perez (Southampton, Mass./Hampshire Regional) was reserve champion to Rossi for novice flat, while classmate Diana Cabral (West Bridgewater, Mass./West Bridgewater) earned reserve champion honors in novice fences.
Eight Stonehill riders in all qualified for the regional finals with sophomore Cassandra Lorusso (Wrentham, Mass./Dana Hall School) finishing fourth in open fences, while classmate Alexandra Fenner (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) placed fifth in walk-trot-canter. Sophomore Martina Tramontozzi (Melrose, Mass./Melrose) rounded out the Skyhawk qualifiers with a fifth place showing in novice fences.
Stonehill's five qualifiers will compete for the Zone 1 championships this Saturday, hosted by Mount Holyoke College, in South Hadley, Mass. The top two finishers in each class will advance to the IHSA National Championships in Lexington, Ky., May 5-8. The Skyhawks sent a program-record four individuals to the championships last season.