Nine members of the Dana Hall Middle and Upper School Equestrian teams competed at the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) National Finals, which took place April 20-22 in Syracuse, N.Y. At the end of the weekend competition, the Upper School team took home the Reserve Championship, placing second overall, and the Middle School team placed eighth.

Dana Hall’s athletes competed against hundreds of riders representing 20 teams from across the country. A. Casale ’14, E. Craig ’14, F. Stufano ’14, A. Suitor ’12, S. Taft ’14 and R. Thompson ’14 represented the Upper School team while S. Ebell ’18, S. Peck ’16 and H. Taft ’16 competed for the Middle School.

During the Varsity team competition, Casale came in first in JV Novice Flat, Stufano placed second in Varsity Open Fences, and S. Taft placed second in Varsity Intermediate Fences. In the Middle School team competition Ebell came in third in Future Beginner Flat, Peck placed second in Future Intermediate Flat, and H. Taft finished eighth in Future Novice Fences.

“The riders’ hard work all year really paid off,” said Riding Center Director Sarah Summers ’98. “I would like to congratulate all our team members on riding so well throughout the season. Even though some didn’t qualify for Nationals, we could not have gotten there without them. We are fortunate to have such a wonderful and supportive team!”