Sweet Briar, Va. -- University of Lynchburg's National Collegiate Equestrian Association team opened postseason play Friday by sweeping the most outstanding performer honors, but the Hornets came away with a close 5-3 loss to Sewanee in the semifinal round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Single-Discipline South Region championships.
Second-seeded Lynchburg will square off with No. 4 seed Bridgewater for third place Saturday at 10 a.m. at Sweet Briar College's Harriet Howell Rogers Riding Center.
In Friday's meet, freshman Emma Schweizer came away with MOP honors over fences, and fellow freshman Lucy Metzler earned the superlative on the flat. It wasn't enough for victory.
Sewanee, the No. 3 seed, took the first two points on horses Fresco and Sal over fences before Lynchburg's Schweizer teamed up with Stiles for an 86-point ride and the Hornets' first point of the meet. The Tigers took the final fences point, however, and headed into flat riding with a 3-1 advantage.
Senior Taylor Herzog led off the flat for Lynchburg with 73 points atop Mulligan to earn the Hornets a second point, and Metzler followed with a textbook 88-point ride on Dance. While she won the point, Sewanee took the other two to secure the 5-3 victory and move on to the regional final.
Lynchburg, still in contention for a spot at NCEA nationals next month, will look to get on the right track against Bridgewater. The Hornets already bested the Eagles once this season, Sept. 26, by a 5-3 tally.
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--LYN--
