The fifth annual USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships kick off tomorrow at the Virginia Horse Trials in Lexington, Virginia. There are a total of 105 entries, 29 teams, and 15 schools entered to compete for the 2021 Championship title.
In 2016, the University of Georgia Red team took home the win. In 2017, the Clemson Tigers were crowned champions, and the past two years (2018 and 2019) it was Auburn University who walked away with the title. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 Championships was canceled. Who will go home with the Championship title this year? It will be a tight competition in this record-breaking Championships!
The Field:
A record-breaking total of 105 entries will compete in the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships which is the highest number of entries to date. There were 89 starters in 2019, 87 starters in 2018, 85 in 2017, and 37 at the inaugural Championship in 2016.
The University of Kentucky is bringing the highest number of teams recorded in Championship history with over 8 teams.
Almost all schools entered will be bringing at least two full teams including Auburn, University of Kentucky, University of Virginia, James Madison University, University of Georgia, University of Louisville, USC Aiken, and Virginia Tech University.
All schools represented have competed at least once in a previous year at the USEA Intercollegiate Championships.
The University of Kentucky won the Spirit Award in 2018 and is the only returning Spirit Award winner to show their school spirit. (UGA won in 2016, Texas A&M in 2017 and 2019, and the University of Kentucky in 2018).
The UF Eventing Team has one of the longest treks to Championships as they are based in Gainesville, Florida.
UVA has competed at the USEA Intercollegiate Championships almost every year, but this year will be the most riders they have ever brought to Championships with 10 horse and rider combinations.
There are a total of 20 College Senior students competing, and several Seniors have competed in Championships each year they’ve been in school (2018 and 2019). These Seniors include Jessica Wymbs, Abigail Winfree, Emily Martin, and Jackie LeMastus.
Auburn University and the University of Kentucky have placed in the top five every year at the USEA Intercollegiate Championships and will be looking for another top placing.
All three schools who have won the Championship title are entered this year. (UGA, Clemson, and Auburn).
The Facts:
There will be two divisions in this year’s Championships - the traditional Championship for undergraduate students, and the newly added graduate division. The graduate division is open to current graduate students and the seniors from the graduating class of 2020, who missed out on the championships last year due to COVID-19. This division will be scored and awarded separately from the undergraduate Championship.
The Championships offers Beginner Novice through Intermediate levels as well as the international CCI*-L, CCI2*-S, CCI2*-L, and CCI3*-S levels. The event will follow the USEF COVID-19 Action Plan.
The intercollegiate activities will start on Friday, May 28 with the opening ceremony being held in the Virginia Horse Center’s Coliseum.
All Championship competitors will be stabled together in ‘College Town’ which will be located in barns 5 and 6. Riders stabled in College Town will have a dedicated scoreboard to keep up with the college team standings and Championship announcements.
Each team is encouraged to set up gazebos and tents in College Town and decorate their stabling area with their school colors, banners, and gear to show their school pride.
The Spirit Award is returning to this year’s Championship with similar criteria as 2018 where a panel will observe schools throughout the weekend to see who shows the most school spirit. The award was won by the University of Georgia in 2016, Texas A&M University in 2017 and 2019, and the University of Kentucky in 2018.
There are no qualifications necessary to compete in these Championships, but there are two requirements. First, for the Undergraduate Championships, each student must be registered as a USEA Collegiate Member and enrolled as an undergraduate student. Second, the school must be a currently registered Affiliate of the USEA.
The final day of competition at the the Yanmar America Tryon International Spring Three-Day Event presented by Tow & Collect crowned five new champions, featuring show jumping competition in Tryon Stadium and the final rounds of cross-country competition on the White Oak cross-country course at Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort (Tryon International). Read more below.
At last fall's Full Moon Farm Horse Trials, 16-year-old Miriam Keefer guided her horse, Micky, over the final cross-country jump with quiet determination and a flash of joy. It was her first recognized event at the Novice level, and she placed second out of 16 competitors—qualifying her for both the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds and a long-format three-day event.
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo were pure class in the final, tense moments of the MARS Badminton Horse Trials, jumping faultlessly to regain the title they won two years ago by just 1 penalty.
Day 3 of competition at the Yanmar America Tryon International Spring Three-Day Event presented by Tow & Collect showcased Clayton Frederick’s course design at the picturesque White Oak Cross-country course at Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort (Tryon International). The leaderboard of the CCI4*-L division saw a shakeup after two phases of competition.
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