Westerlind and Kimbar will make second career appearance at regional championships

Kimbar	Westerlind
Hanson	McConville
Kotfila	Roberts

EASTON, Mass. (March 31, 2018) – Six members of the Stonehill College equestrian program have qualified for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Zone 1, Region 4 Championships on Saturday, March 31 hosted by the Skyhawks at Winters End Farm in Stoughton, Massachusetts. This is the first time that Stonehill will be hosting the Region 4 Championships.

Senior captains Abigail Westerlind (Auburn, Massachusetts/Auburn) and Baylee Kimbar (Worcester, Massachusetts/West Boylston) will be making the second appearances of their careers at the Region 4 Championships, while sophomores Mariah Hanson (South Burlington, Vermont/South Burlington), Emma McConville (North Attleboro, Massachusetts/Wheeler School), and Kaitlin Kotfila (Hadley, Massachusetts/Hopkins Academy) and freshman Madison Roberts (East Hampton, Connecticut/East Hampton) have qualified for the first time in their careers.

Kimbar will compete in intermediate fences and flat equitation this year after qualifying for novice flat and fences her sophomore year. She placed third in novice flat and fifth in fences at the Region 4 Championships during the 2015-16 season, when ten Skyhawks competed at the Championships. This year, Kimbar earned her lone blue ribbon at the Stonehill Show in intermediate fences giving her the edge to qualify for regionals, while she placed third in intermediate flat at the Boston College Show also qualifying her for regionals. The senior also earned three top three marks in intermediate flat throughout the year.

Westerlind also competed her sophomore year as she qualified in walk-trot-canter, while this season she will compete at Regionals in novice flat. In the second to last show of the season, Westerlind finished second in novice flat at the Worcester State Show. The senior captain earned three other second-place ribbons and two third-place tallies this season.

Hanson qualified early in the season, as she placed fifth in novice fences at the Stonehill Show in November, the second show of the season for the sophomore. In the first show of the season, Hanson picked up her fifth blue ribbon of her career and then earned her sixth in novice flat at the Worcester State Show last weekend. The sophomore posted two fourth place marks, one fifth, and two seventh throughout the season.

McConville will ride in the open flat section, as she qualified for regionals with her third blue ribbon of the season at the Point Show on Friday, sixth of her career. Throughout the season, the sophomore posted two third-place ribbons, two fourth-place tallies, and one fifth-place mark in open flat.

The last sophomore was Kotfila, as she placed second in intermediate flat on Friday to help her in qualifying for regionals. This season, Kotfila earned two blue ribbons, including one at the Boston College Show for intermediate flat. The sophomore also earned third, fourth and fifth in flat throughout the season.

The last Skyhawk to qualify for their first regional performance is Roberts. She earned her spot at Regionals on Friday with her blue-ribbon performance in walk-trot-canter. The freshman earned four other blue ribbons this season, including her first at the Stonehill show which was her first IHSA show.

Stonehill finished the regular season second in the region, after totaling 32 points for first place at the Point Show on Friday, March 30 at Winters End Farm to bump up from fourth in the region. The top two ribbon winners from each of the events at Saturday's Region 4 Championships will advance to the IHSA Zone 1 Championships, hosted by Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts on Saturday, April 7.

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