SWEET BRIAR, Va. – The University of Lynchburg won the inaugural Old Dominion Athletics Conference (ODAC) single discipline equestrian Championship Tournament on Saturday at the Harriet Howell Rogers Riding Center, defeating the top-seeded Sweet Briar College, 7-3, for the title. 

ODAC All-Tournament awards can be found at the bottom of this release.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP – (3/23) Lynchburg Earns Title after Downing Top-Seeded Sweet Briar
The No. 2 seeded Lynchburg toppled top-seeded Sweet Briar on Saturday for the first ODAC Championship Tournament title, 7-3.
 
The Hornets (7-2, 2-1 ODAC) downed the Vixens (7-2, 4-0 ODAC) in enemy territory, pulling away early with a 4-1 lead after the Fences competition. The lone point for Sweet Briar was scored by junior Paige Kennedy, while the Hornets’ points came from Emma Schweizer, Brynley Smith, Mackenna Moss and MOP Fallyn Belcastro. The inaugural ODAC Fences Rider of the Year, Belcastro had a beautiful ride on Eddie, scoring an averaged total of 83.5 points to earn the MOP. Schweizer had the top score of the Fences competition, receiving an averaged score of 87.
 
In the Flat competition, Sweet Briar held its own, scoring two points from Emmy Longest and Katherine Atherton, but Lynchburg rode strong and earned three points for the win. The Hornets saw Belcastro, Lucy Metzler and Kelley McCormick earn their points for the victory, McCormick being named MOP for her averaged score of 92.5. She was the only rider to earn a 90-point score in Flat.
 
SEMIFINAL 1 – (3/22) Sweet Briar Advances to Championship, Defeats Bridgewater
The No. 1 Single Discipline Sweet Briar College NCEA team (7-1, 4-0 ODAC) is headed to the first-ever Old Dominion Athletics Conference (ODAC) Single Discipline Equestrian Championship meet after defeating the No. 3-seed Bridgewater College Eagles (0-8) 7-3 at the Harriet Howell Rogers Riding Center.
 
The Vixens kicked off the morning with a 4-1 lead following the conclusion of the flat portion of the meet thanks to points scored by senior Emmy Longest (Hanover, Va.), juniors Katherine Atherton (Montpelier, Va.) and Ella Peterson (Ashland, Va.) and sophomore Wyette Felton (Canton, Ga.).
 
Felton led Sweet Briar with an average score of 80 on Carl which was 6.5 points higher than her opponent Margarita Trukhina.
 
Longest rode to a 76.5 on Kanye while Atherton scored an average of 74.5 on Fee Fee. Peterson's average score of 72.5, 8.5 points higher than Jimena Garcia Nunez, helped the team reach its four-point total.
 
Both Atherton and Longest once again earned points for Sweet Briar in fences competition with Atherton being awarded the title of Most Outstanding Performer (MOP) thanks to her ride of an 82.5 on Dorado.
 
Longest was right behind her with an average score of 78 on Eragon to best her Eagles opponent by 10 points.
 
Ensuring the victory for the Vixens with a third fences point was junior Paige Kennedy (Purcellville, Va.) who totaled an 81 to take down Madeleine Granger by 14.5 points.
 
Highlights
Sweet Briar has now advanced to all three conference championships that they have competed in.
Atherton has been named MOP in fences twice this season, the second-highest total on the team.
 
SEMIFINAL 2 – (3/22) Lynchburg Advances to Championship, Defeats Sewanee
The University of Lynchburg equestrian team defeated Sewanee 6-4 in the semifinals of Old Dominion Athletic Conference head-to-head riding championship on Friday. 
 
The Hornets trailed 3-2 after fences but won four of five points on the flat to swing the meet into their favor and advance to the championship against Sweet Briar. Lynchburg is the No. 2 seed in the tournament and the No. 2 team in the NCEA rankings. Sweet Briar is ranked No. 1 in both. The Hornets and Vixens square off at 9:35 a.m. from Sweet Briar's campus on Saturday, March 23. The winner will be crowned as the first-ever ODAC champion. 
 
Emma Schweizer and Mackenna Moss won Lynchburg's first two points of the day over fences. Schweizer beat out her opponent on Eddie with an average score of 85.5, and Moss won her matchup on Chico with an 81.5.
 
Abby Zemp rode first for Lynchburg on the flat and scored a 91 and an 85 for an average of 88. Kelley McCormick brought in an 81, Devyn Borden averaged an 84.5, and Fallyn Belcastro, the ODAC fences rider of the year, scored an 86 to secure Lynchburg's sixth point of the day.

ODAC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS

• Fences
  • Kelsey Quinn, BC
  • Fallyn Belcastro, LYN
  • Emma Schweizer, LYN
  • Paige Kennedy, SBC
• Flat
  • Kelsey Quinn, BC
  • Fallyn Belcastro, LYN
  • Kelley McCormick, LYN
  • Katherine Atherton, SBC

About the NCEA
A non-profit corporation, the NCEA is a governing body to advance the sport of equestrian. The NCEA is responsible for the development and administration of equestrian rules and guidelines. Equestrian is subject to all NCAA policies and procedures in the same manner as other sports. In 1998, Equestrian was identified and adopted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) as an emerging sport for women at the Division I and II levels. 
 
NCEA competitions are in a head-to-head format, and schools may choose to compete as a single or dual discipline team (Jumping Seat and Western). Each discipline has two events: in Jumping Seat, Fences and Flat, and in Western, Horsemanship and Reining. Teams can have five riders per event, with horses assigned by random draw at the start of the competition. Riders from opposing teams compete on the same horse, and whichever rider receives the higher score earns one point for her team. The level of difficulty is demonstrated by the accuracy of the pattern and how the competitor uses the horse to the best of her ability.
 
To stay up to date all year long on all things NCEA Equestrian, follow the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @NCEA_Equestrian and @ncea_eq.