Equestrian Team at Mississippi College Ties Berry College for First Place

Mississippi College equestrian team tied Berry College for first place during competition in Rome, Georgia on October 26.

Mississippi College equestrian team riders turned in their best performance of the season by achieving a first-place tie with regional power Berry College.

Led by captain Katherine Mooney, 21, of Jackson, the MC Choctaws earned 35 points at the October 26 competition in Rome, Georgia to match Berry’s totals.

“This is a huge accomplishment for the team,” said Mississippi College equestrian team coach Tina Davey. “The team hopes to continue to earn many points over the season starting with Berry College’s show on November 16.”

The event was held at Berry’s 185-acre Gunby Equestrian Center that was built in 1974 and contains stalls for 64 horses. Berry College went on to win two additional Sunday shows on their home turf in north Georgia.

Individual results that Saturday show Mooney won first-place honors in intermediate over the fences. An MC junior, Mooney is no newcomer to the horse world. She got started with the sport as an 8-year-old and brings experience growing up as a rider at horse shows at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds in Jackson.

MC sophomore Erica Reynolds of Texas captured first in intermediate flat competition. Freshman Emma Church of Louisiana grabbed first-place honors in advanced walk, trot and canter.

“Almost all riders from Mississippi College placed at this show,” Davey said.

In various categories, Mississippi College freshmen Maggie Waters of Ohio and Danielle LeBrecht of Florida, junior Hailey Elder of Texas, freshman Elizabeth Langford of Oregon and junior Kristina Bordulis picked up second place ribbons.

MC senior Kathryn Cawthon of Brandon was third in novice flat and intermediate over the fences, and freshman Sela McClelland of Illinois was third in novice over the fences. MC sophomore Winston Franklin of Brandon, a Northwest Rankin graduate, finished 4^th in the walk, trot categories.

The late October event at Berry College was the third Intercollegiate Horse Show Association competition of the fall season for Mississippi College.

Starting its seventh season, Mississippi College’s equestrian team consists of 22 Lady Choctaws and one man – Winston Franklin. Last season, the MC squad finished fourth in its Southeast division that includes Berry College, the University of Georgia, Mississippi State, Georgia State, Georgia Tech and Alabama.

The MC team is based at Providence Hill Farm, a scenic 2,000-acre facility off Carsley Road. With stalls for 36 horses, the farm is a 15-minute drive from the Clinton campus. Providence Hill Farm also serves as the headquarters for the Baptist-affiliated university’s clay shooting and bass fishing teams.

For more information, go to www.mcequestrianteam.com or contact Tina Davey at Providence Hill Farm at 601.925.0557.