NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (April 9, 2022)- At the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Zone 1 championships today, the Stonehill College equestrian team had a strong overall showing as Haley Whittaker clinched a spot in May's IHSA National Championships in the novice flat event whereas Ariel Goharzadeh finished within the top-10 (10th) during the limit flat. 

With Whittaker's first-place finish in the novice flat, she now has four career first-place finishes in the event. She also posted a second-place finish during her IHSA Show debut during the Tufts University Show (Oct. 12, 2019). Whittaker is the first Skyhawk to compete at nationals since Emma McConville did in 2019. 

Meanwhile, for Goharzadeh, her 10th place finish in limit flat marks the fifth time she finished in the top-10 during the event. Prior to today's Zone 1 Championships, Goharzadeh had four top-three finishes in the event (first-Boston University Show, October 13, 2019, second twice-Zone 1 Region 4 Championship, March 26 and Bentley/Wheaton Show, Nov. 2, 2019, and third-Bridgewater State Show, Nov.3, 2019). 

Up Next:

Whittaker will have some much-deserved time off before she gets ready for her first-ever appearance at the IHSA National Championships on Thursday, May 5 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pa.

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