Morrisville State western riders open season with reserve high point team honors  

Morrisville State western riders open season with reserve high point team honors   

 Photo courtesy of SUNY Cobleskill Sports Information

 

COBLESKILL, N.Y. – The Morrisville State College western equestrian team opened the 2017-18 season Sunday on the road at SUNY Cobleskill, earning reserve high point team honors for both the morning and afternoon shows.

In the first of the day's competition, Cobleskill edged the Mustangs for high point honors, accumulating 32 team points to Morrisville State's 29. They followed with another close victory over the Mustangs, claiming high point honors with 32 team points, as Morrisville State earned 30.

Blacey Bakutis (Kent, N.Y.) earned reserve high point rider honors in the afternoon show, after posting a second place ride in open reining and third place ride in open western horsemanship.

Five total riders posted wins in six different classes, and another six added second place finishes across the day.

In the morning show, riders Danielle Utterback (Weedsport, N.Y.) and Kelli Castaldo (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) claimed the top two spots for the Mustangs in the beginner horsemanship class, followed by Lindsey Sunderlage (Kingston, Ill.) who recorded a blue ribbon winning ride in the intermediate I class before pointing up to the intermediate II class. Erin Clancy (Rochester, N.Y.) finished second in the intermediate I class, also pointing up to the intermediate II class for the afternoon show.

Mikaela Cormier (Belchertown, Mass.) collected a second place ride in the novice horsemanship class, while Bakutis turned in a second place finish in the open horsemanship class for the Mustangs to close out top riding performances for the morning.

In the afternoon, Castaldo registered her first win of the year in the beginner horsemanship class, followed by Sunderlage added her first win in the intermediate II class.

Danielle Cammarano (Fairhaven, Mass.) and Lea Inhaber-Courchesne (Westborough, Mass.) each turned in second place rides in their respective sections of the intermediate II class, before MacKenzie Smith recorded a second place ride in the novice class.

Stephanie Zajac (Belchertown, N.Y.) took home the blue ribbon in the advanced western horsemanship class, while Bakutis added a second ribbon in the open reining class.

Morrisville State returns to the riding arena, hosting their own double show on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 9 a.m. at the western riding arena.

Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.

The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.

 

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