Blacksburg, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg equestrian squad took its IHSA group to the two-day VT IHSA this weekend, hosted by Virginia Tech, and came away with a first-place finish on day two and a fourth-place results on day one.

Day one of the event saw the Hornets earn a total of 31 points to place fourth. Lynchburg rebounded in day two to win the show with 38 total points with drop score. On the first day, Jessica McElhaney, Ashby Watts, and Ashlyn Barksdale each claimed first place in their respective classes. McElhaney won the Intermediate Flat, Watts took first in the Limit Fences, and Barksdale earned the top spot in Novice A. 

Additionally, Amaya Bellfield took second in the Open Fences while Zoey Horn earned fifth. Bellfield followed up with a fourth-place showing in the Open Flat. Ava Jackson placed fourth in Intermediate Fences A and Ava Hogan rounded out Lynchburg performances in the intermediate classes with third in Intermediate Flat B. Adam Matejko earned a solid second-place result in Limit Flat B, McKenzie Burch claimed fourth in the Limit Flat C, and Shuler rounded out Lynchburg performers from day one with third in the Introductory class.

The Hornets shined on day two, earning five first-place finishes across all classes. Bellfield had another great showing in the Open classes, taking first in the Open Fences and second in the Open Flat. Watts took home first place once again in Limit Fences A, while Mackenzie Overstreet and Matejko claimed first in Limit Flat B and Limit Flat C, respectively. Annabella Shores was awarded first in Novice A for the fifth top placement for Lynchburg on the day.

Jackson was the sole Hornet performer to take part in the Intermediate Fences and took fifth in the A class. McElhaney closed out her weekend with a fourth-place finish in the Intermediate Flat A. To round out the show, Ruby Suess claimed second place in Limit Flat A, Reese Albany earned third in Novice B, and Shuler took fifth in the Introductory class.

Click here to view the results from day one, and click here to view the results from day two. The IHSA equestrian crew has a brief break in competitions before returning to action for the Tournament of Champions at Centenary University in Long Valley, N.J. on December 6, starting at 10 a.m.

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