Equestrian Places Third at Tournament of Champions

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Tournament of Champions

Equestrian Places Third at Tournament of Champions

12/8/2024 2:17:00 PM | Equestrian

Hwalek secures fourth Fences win

By: Cameron McClarren

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Kylie Hwalek's first place outing in Open Fences accentuated a strong showing for the Sacred Heart University equestrian team as it concluded 2024 with a third place finish at the Tournament of Champions, hosted by Virginia Tech University.

Hwalek, who claimed her fourth win in Open Fences, grabbed one of SHU's four top-three finishes during the show. In Limit Fences, Sophia Poling claimed third to round out the top honors in fences. In flat, Erin Phillips claimed second in the Intermediate Flat while Virginia Martin's 2^nd place showing in the Limit Flat helped aid SHU in overall points.

The Pios had strong showings as well from Morgan McCrave and Kayla DeStephanis who both placed fourth in the Introductory and Intermediate Fences, respectively. Overall, SHU claimed third out of eight teams with 31 points.

Team Results

SCAD Bee-Lieve (41points)
SCAD Bee-Strong (31 points)
Sacred Heart (31 points)
Otterbein (28 points)
Lynchburg (27 points)
Skidmore (24 points)
Mt. Holyoke (22 points)
Sweet Briar (21 points)

Individual Results

Kylie Hwalek – 1^st Open Fences, 5^th Open Flat
Kayla DeStephanis – 4^th Intermediate Fences
Erin Phillips – 2^nd Intermediate Flat
Sophia Poling – 3^rd Limit Fences
Virginia Martin – 2^nd Limit Flat
Kaylee Shindel – 5^th Novice
Morgan McCrave – 4^th Introductory
Kennedy Teasdale – 6^th High Medal
Isabella Ruisi – 6^th Low Medal

Up Next:
The Pioneers are back in action on January 25, 2025, at the Tournament of Champions show in Savannah, Ga., hosted by SCAD. More information can be found at sacredheartpioneers.com.