SAVANNAH, Georgia – March 30, 2016 – The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) equestrian team will host the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Zone 5 Championship this Saturday, April 2, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the verdant and expansive Ronald C. Waranch Equestrian Center in Hardeeville, South Carolina. The top two team finishers and top two individual finishers will qualify for the IHSA National Championship Show, May 5-8, 2016.

SCAD’s equestrian team regularly takes top honors in respected competitions, including over 50 team and individual IHSA and ANRC national championships in the past ten years. As the first art and design university in the U.S. to offer a comprehensive intercollegiate athletics program, SCAD provides students a lively, well-rounded environment that fosters camaraderie, team spirit and healthy competition.

The Zone 5 Finals will feature the champions of each of the five regions competing for a chance to advance to the national championships. SCAD, the defending IHSA National Champions, are looking to win their third straight Zone finals and are aiming to reach their sixth consecutive IHSA national tournament. The SCAD Bees won eight shows this year to clinch their sixth straight Zone 5, Region 5 title.
 
The other four teams that will be competing in the Zone 5 Finals are Vanderbilt University, Berry College, Louisiana State University and the College of Charleston.

The 2014–15 SCAD equestrian team, under head coach Ashley Henry, was the first in the history of collegiate riding to win the National Champion Team and Novice National Team divisions at the ANRC National Intercollegiate Equitation Championship, IHSA Collegiate Cup Team Championship and the National Tournament of Champions’ Overall Series Championship Team titles in the same competition year.

Ryan Genn (B.A., equestrian studies), Quinn Lowsky (B.F.A., fashion) and Meredith Denny (B.F.A., graphic design) are competing in both the team competitions and individual competition at the show. 

Ryan Genn will compete in both open flat and open over fences equitation as part of the Bees team, as well as in the open over fences individual competition. Genn captured the Zone 5 Region 5 Cacchione Cup High Point Rider and will represent SCAD in the Cacchione Cup at the IHSA National Championships. He was also named high point rider at five different shows this season and finished second in the open/intermediate tournament of champions medal.

Quinn Lowsky won the novice equitation over fences competition at the regional finals and will compete as an individual in that event. He will also be competing in the novice equitation flat as part of the team competition. Lowsky has earned eight blue ribbons this year in three different events and finished first in the intermediate/novice Tournament of Champions medal. 

After winning the novice equitation flat competition at the regional finals, Meredith Denny has advanced to compete in that event this weekend. She will also represent SCAD in the intermediate equitation over fences event. Denny has earned seven blue ribbons this season, including four in the novice equitation flat and two in the intermediate equitation over fences. She also finished fourth in the intermediate/novice Tournament of Champions medal.

Also competing for SCAD are Mikayla Colson (B.A., equestrian studies), Jessica Amsberry (B.F.A., fibers), Tess Mroczka (B.F.A., graphic design) and Maddie Albano (B.F.A., graphic design). Colson will participate in walk/trot equitation, while Amsberry will compete in walk/trot/canter equitation. Mroczka will be competing in the novice equitation over fences event and Albano will round out the team competing in the intermediate equitation flat.

The other three riders competing in individual events are Devon Walther (B.A., equestrian studies), Kelsey Fey (B.A., equestrian studies) and Heather Partlow (B.A., equestrian studies). Walther won the open equitation over fences competition at the regional finals to advance to the zones. Walther earned six blue ribbons this year and was named both high point rider and reserve high point rider once. Fey earned a red ribbon in the intermediate equitation flat competition to advance to the zone finals. She has earned two first place and one second place finish this year. Partlow has earned six blue ribbons this season and was reserve champion in walk/trot equitation at the regional finals.  The two-sport rider also was a member of the SCAD swimming team which won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes National Championship earlier this year.

Genn, Walther, Mroczka, Amsberry and Partlow were all members of the SCAD team that won the IHSA National Championship last year.

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About SCAD equestrian studies
The undergraduate program of study covers equine law and principles, rules and regulations of various equestrian governing bodies, and effective communication with a wide range of equestrian professionals. The comprehensive curriculum is supplemented by lectures from visiting professionals, including trainers, Olympic-caliber riders, judges, veterinarians and horse-show managers.

Through the equestrian studies program, students gain an understanding of equine psychology, body language and social behavior that they apply to the care, training and riding of horses. Knowledge of equine anatomy, conformation, conditioning, health and nutrition provides the basis from which students develop competency in the safe handling, proper care, evaluation and selection of the sport horse. For complete curriculum requirements and course descriptions, visit scad.edu/equestrian-studies.

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers
The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor’s and master’s degrees at distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers degrees in 42 majors, as well as minors in more than 60 disciplines across its locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; in Hong Kong; in Lacoste, France; and online through SCAD eLearning.

With more than 32,000 alumni worldwide, SCAD demonstrates an exceptional education and unparalleled career preparation. The diverse student body, consisting of more than 12,000 students, comes from across all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 countries. Each student is nurtured and motivated by a faculty of nearly 700 professors with extraordinary academic credentials and valuable professional experience. These professors emphasize learning through individual attention in an inspiring university environment, and the innovative SCAD curriculum is enhanced by advanced, professional-level technology, equipment and learning resources.

In 2015, the prestigious Red Dot Design Rankings placed SCAD in the top four universities in the Americas and Europe. Career preparation is woven into every fiber of the university, resulting in a superior alumni placement rate. In a survey of Spring 2014 SCAD graduates, 97 percent of respondents reported being employed, pursuing further education or both within 10 months of graduation.

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Thomas Chasanoff
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