Five individuals will join the team and McConville to compete at Zone 1 Championships next weekend

Hanson (left) qualified for her second and third events at Zone 1 Championships, as Solar (right) will show in her first Zone Championship

HANOVER, Massachusetts (March 30, 2019) – The Stonehill College equestrian team saw five qualify for Zone 1 Championships this weekend with their performances at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Zone 1, Region 4 Championships at Holly Hill Farm, hosted by Boston University in Hanover, Massachusetts on Saturday.

Stonehill saw three Zone 1, Region 4 Champions in junior Mariah Hanson, junior Kaitlin Kotfila, and sophomore Molly McCutcheon.

Hanson led the Skyhawks with her first Zone 1, Region 4 Champion ribbon of her career as she competed in novice flat. This was her second time qualifying for regionals, as she was the reserve champion in novice fences last year and competed in her first Zone 1 Championship following. The South Burlington, Vermont native was named Reserve Champion for intermediate fences, which also qualified her for Zone 1 Championships.

In her second appearance at the Regional Championships, Kotfila earned her second bid to Zone 1 Championships with her blue ribbon performance in intermediate fences. Last season, she was the reserve champion in intermediate flat at the regional championship.

Sophomore McCutcheon, in her first Zone 1, Region 4 Championship, earned a blue ribbon in walk-trot-canter and will show in her first Zone 1 Championship next weekend.

McCutcheon will compete in her first Zone 1 Championship after being named reserve champion at regionals

Also in her first regional show, senior Rachel Scibek and junior Laura Solar took home the red ribbons. Scibek was named reserve champion in novice fences, while Solar was the reserve champion in novice flat as they both will show at the Zone 1 Championships for the first time in their careers.  

Stonehill's five riders will compete individually at the IHSA Zone 1 Championships on Saturday April 6 in North Hampton, Massachusetts hosted by Mount Holyoke College, where they will be joined by Cacchione Rider junior Emma McConville. The six riders will also be joined by the team as they compete as a whole aiming to finish as one of the top two teams for the chance to show at the IHSA National Championships.

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