Alyson Booth ’13 on her horse Dom, who spent three years at Sweet Briar. “I like to think he has earned his undergrad degree also,” says mom Debbie.

“Alyson has gained so much from her time at Sweet Briar, it feels right to give back and make sure that Sweet Briar can continue to provide students competitive programs and resources,” says Bill, who made a career in point-of-sales marketing and retired after working for Coinstar during its startup phase. “[She] has benefited from the generosity of those who came before her, so getting involved and contributing to the Annual Fund is our way of giving back.”

This month, Alyson is graduating with a B.S. in biology and a minor in chemistry. She’s already been accepted to the veterinary program at Ohio State University, where she’ll start in the fall.

Alyson’s journey began during her junior year in high school. As a participant in the College Bound riding program in Gainesville, Fla., she met Sweet Briar riding director Mimi Wroten, who told her everything about the College’s equestrian program. After a campus visit, Alyson was ready to disqualify all other colleges from her wish list.

“Alyson’s passion is horses,” Debbie says, adding that her daughter has been riding since she enrolled her in a spring break riding camp in elementary school.

“When it came time to choose a college, she wanted to attend a school that would provide her the opportunity to continue riding.”

Sweet Briar was the only school Alyson applied to — despite her initial aversion to the idea of attending a women’s college.

“I remember suggesting Sweet Briar to her when she was a sophomore in high school,” says Bill, who had visited the campus when he was a student at Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania.

Natalie (left), Bill, Alyson and Debbie Booth at Alyson’s high school graduation.

“I had a fraternity brother whose girlfriend attended Sweet Briar. They got in a fight and he convinced me to ride with him to visit her over a weekend. … If someone had said to me back then, ‘Someday, you will have a daughter and she will attend Sweet Briar with her horse,’ I would have told them they were crazy.”

While growing up just 30 miles apart in the Pittsburgh area, the Booths didn’t meet until they were both working for the same supermarket vendor, but in different cities. A corporate training program in California brought them together.

Two children and many years later, Debbie continues to work in marketing, now for the personalized digital media company Catalina, where she has been for 19 years. Last summer, Becca Davidson ’13 interned at Catalina and stayed with the Booths while Alyson was away with “Vets in the Wild” in South Africa.

“We had done this once before with a UVa student who was a friend of Aly’s sister Natalie, so we were totally open to doing it again when one of Aly’s friends expressed an interest in exploring a career in human resources,” Debbie says. “Aly suggested she reach out to me. After speaking with her, I encouraged her to send me her resume and I sponsored her candidacy for the Catalina Summer Internship Program. When she was accepted, we invited her to stay with us for the summer.”

Debbie hopes more parents will open their homes — and internship opportunities — to Sweet Briar students.

“Many parents may be able to offer a similar opportunity and just have not thought about it. It’s a rewarding experience for the student and for the host family.”

Alyson, in turn, has benefited from the generosity of many Sweet Briar parents in Virginia, who took her in during holidays when she couldn’t make it home.

To Debbie, “that says a lot about the SBC parent community.”

Through their involvement on the Parent Steering Committee, the Booths have connected with many other Sweet Briar families, and every time, they find a lot in common.

“In all my encounters, the parents have shared similar, positive SBC experiences and consistently place a deep value on the women’s college education and experience,” Debbie says.

Alyson during the “Vets in the Wild” program in South Africa last summer.

Both Bill and Debbie know that Sweet Briar was the right choice for Alyson.

“The family atmosphere, the collaboration and support of the professors and the support of alumnae are all examples of what makes Sweet Briar such a special place,” Debbie explains. “Aly was appropriately challenged and supported by professors [who] believed in her and provided her strong advice and guidance.”

They’re especially grateful for the many opportunities Alyson was offered in preparation for vet school. The summer between her freshman and sophomore years, she interned at a Sweet Briar alumna’s small animal practice in the Lynchburg area, and her pre-vet and senior research advisor, biology professor John Morrissey, encouraged her to participate in the “Vets in the Wild” program. Each opportunity has brought Alyson one step closer to fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian.

For as long as the Booths can remember, “Aly was bound and determined to get into vet school,” Debbie says. “She was accepted at five schools — three abroad and two in the U.S. … We are thrilled and truly blessed.”

But it’s not just about academics. Alyson has grown on a personal level, as well, something Bill is keenly aware of.

“Alyson has flourished. Her self-confidence has grown, she has a deeper understanding of who she is; she is more independent, she speaks up. She’s developed gumption. She has also has taken [the] initiative to try new things, such as participating in cross country. I have seen her become a leader rather than a follower.

“Last but not least, she has developed deep friendships that will last forever.”

Alyson, for her part, is glad she made the choice to attend Sweet Briar. That her parents have been there to support her every step of the way means a lot, she says.

“It was important to me because they got to be a part of my college experience in positive ways, other than just helping me pay for school.”

— Janika Carey

Sweet Briar’s ANRC national team and individual riders with coach Mimi Wroten.

It was a joyous return trip for both Vixen riding teams who traveled to the Baltimore area over the weekend for the 2013 American National Riding Commission’s National Intercollegiate Equitation Championship.

Brianna Belter ’13 was the overall novice individual reserve champion riding Sweet Briar’s Chinook.

The novice team, made up of Kathleen Drake ’14, Brianna Belter ’13 and Abigail Strohmeyer ’16, won two of four phases and placed high enough in the others to claim the overall team championship in the novice competition.

Sweet Briar’s national team also shined, accumulating enough points through all four phases to be reserve champions at second place overall. Ali Davidson ’13, Liz Koslow ’13 and Olivia Smith ’14 represented the College team at the national level. Elizabeth Hansbrough ’13 competed as an individual.

There were a number of great individual performances, too:

• Liz Koslow won the medal course with a score of 90.
• Katie Drake was the overall novice individual champion.
• Brianna Belter was the overall novice individual reserve champion.
• Olivia Smith was the overall national individual reserve champion.

This year’s competition was larger than ever with 30 novice- and 37 national-level riders from Savannah College of Art and Design, Sweet Briar, Centenary, Goucher, Virginia Intermont, Bridgewater and Hood colleges; the University of Virginia, University of the South; and St. Andrews, Towson, Otterbein, Fairfield, East Carolina and California State Polytechnic universities.

Elizabeth Hansbrough ’13

Sweet Briar senior Elizabeth Hansbrough has been named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete of 2013.

Conference honors were announced at the ODAC Equestrian Championships held April 6 at Sweet Briar. Also recognized were Olivia Smith ’14, who made the All-ODAC Team as a top rider in the conference, and Liz Koslow ’13, who was awarded a spot on the ODAC/Stellar One Sportsmanship Team.

In the championship competition, Sweet Briar riding director Mimi Wroten said her team jumped consistently over fences and finished in third place by one point. The Vixens were last year’s ODAC champions.

Kathleen Drake ’14

Sweet Briar’s Kathleen Drake ’14 is the zone champion in novice over fences after this weekend’s Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Zone 4 finals at St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, N.C.

Drake competed against seven other regional champions or reserve champions in the class. Zone 4 of the IHSA is made up of four regions represented by schools from Virginia, North and South Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The top two regional riders in each class advance to compete at the zone level.

Drake joins Sweet Briar junior Olivia Smith, who will represent Zone 4 for the Cacchione Cup at the IHSA national finals May 2-4 in Harrisburg, Pa.

Kathryne Richards ’15 also competed at St. Andrews, having finished the regular season as the Zone 4, Region 2 reserve champion in the intermediate flat class. She finished with a fourth-place ribbon in the zone finals.

As a team, the Vixens are this year’s Zone 4, Region 2 reserve champions.

Among Friday’s individual highlights, first-place finishers were Olivia Smith ’14 in open fences, Kathryne Richard ’15 in intermediate flat and Caitlynn Bragg ’14 in walk, trot, canter. Also placing on Friday were: Katie Drake ’14, second in intermediate fences and third in novice flat; Cheyenne Walker ’16, second in novice fences; Richard, second in novice fences; McKenna Wilder ’16, second in walk, trot, canter; Natasha Cross ’16, second in walk, trot; Laura Leitch ’14, third in walk, trot, canter; and Brianna Belter ’13, fifth in intermediate flat.

Smith was Sunday’s high-point rider after winning both her open flat and open fences classes. Drake was second in novice flat; Wendy Ferguson ’15 took second in walk, trot, canter; Cross was fourth in walk, trot; and Belter was fifth in intermediate flat.

The Vixens’ next IHSA show is on Saturday, Feb. 16, at Bridgewater College. Sweet Briar is tied with the University of Virginia team for the lead in the IHSA’s Zone 4, Region 2, but it is crowded at the top of the standings. As the end of regional competition approaches, the top six teams are all within six points of each other — closer than other regions in the zone.

Elizabeth Fisch (left) joins the Sweet Briar riding program as coach and instructor on Jan. 1.

The Sweet Briar riding program has announced that Elizabeth “Lizzie” Fisch will join the instructional and coaching team on Jan. 1.

Fisch comes to Sweet Briar from Atlanta, where she has been assistant trainer and barn manager at the Atlanta Hunt Club since 2008. In addition to her duties at the hunt club, she has coached two successful Interscholastic Equestrian Association teams in the Atlanta area.

Fisch is a graduate of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, now Randolph College, so she knows first-hand the value of attending an all-women’s institution. At Sweet Briar, she will teach a variety of riding levels and will coach the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association team. She says she is excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to be a part of the Sweet Briar program and community.

Riding director Mimi Wroten sees Fisch as a great fit for the program, citing her background in teaching and training students and horses of all levels, and her ability to get the best performance out of both.

“I believe that Lizzie has the passion and drive that a Sweet Briar instructor needs, while maintaining high standards of horsemanship,” she says.

Fisch will get a chance to meet the riders and horses she will be working with during the weekend of Dec. 7-9, when she plans to visit campus for the College’s Winter Horse Show. All are welcome to stop by and say hello.

Jenny Mix ’15 rode Sweet Briar’s Oh So Fine to the championship in the 2012 Randolph College Medal Finals, followed by Brianna Belter who won the reserve championship on another College horse, Ladino.

Ali Davidson ’13 also was a champion, winning the top overall spot in the Oak Ridge Medal Finals on Chase N Gold. She was joined in the standings by seniors Aly Booth in fourth place riding Hattrick and Elizabeth Hansbrough finishing sixth on Love Z.

In the individual phases, Sweet Briar riders were fourth, sixth and eighth in the gymnastics phase, while 2012 graduate Lauren Perhala finished second. Davidson and Booth were third and fourth in the flat. Davidson, Booth and Hansbrough rallied in the jumping phase to place second, fourth and fifth respectively by riding aggressively over the challenging course.

Competing independently, Kaitie Cartwright ’14 placed first on her horse, Echo, and Haley Bagwell took second on Companiero in the 1-meter jumper class.

This year’s inductees are riders Janet Hamilburg Churchill ’53 and Dianna Yaeger Rankin ’66, as well as field hockey and lacrosse player Sally True Dow-Datilio ’80 and tennis player Mary Pope Maybank Hutson ’83.

This will be the fourth class named to the College’s Hall of Fame. In 2006, Sweet Briar inducted nine members into the charter class, including Harriet Howell Rogers, Ann Samford Upchurch ’48, professor emerita Katherine “Kay” McDonald, Anna “Chips” Chao Pai ’57, Mildred “Bee” Newman Thayer ’60, Mary Jane Schroder Oliver Hubbard ’62, Lendon F. Gray ’71, Cannie Crysler Shafer ’78 and Katherine “Katie” Hearn ’85.

According to its mission statement, “[t]he Sweet Briar College Athletics Hall of Fame honors special achievement by alumnae and others who have been associated with athletics at the College. These individuals have helped bring recognition, honor, distinction and excellence to Sweet Briar College and the intercollegiate athletics program.”

Janet Churchill began show jumping in high school and later learned “the finer points of forward riding” from instructors Harriet Rogers and Clayton Bailey at Sweet Briar. In 1952, Churchill was named Master of Foxhounds of the Sweet Briar Hunt, and in 1953 she was awarded the Sweet Briar Blazer, a prize given to the top athlete by Sweet Briar’s athletic association. Photos of her are featured in Captain Vladimir Littauer’s 1956 book, “Schooling Your Horse.” In 1955, she was appointed master of the Groton Hunt Club in Massachusetts, making her one of just two women in the U.S. to hold that post at the time. A national judge with a No. 1 rating, she was head of the riding division for Girls and Women’s Sports of the National Education Association and directed the New England Center in Groton, Mass. Churchill later became a pilot and authored several articles and books, including the award-winning “From Delaware to Everywhere.” In 2000, she was inducted into the Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame.

Dianna Rankin was a member of the Sweet Briar Riding Club and the show team. She later received a scholarship from the U.S. Equestrian Team to study dressage in Germany and was rewarded with a selection to the first Dressage World Cup in 1986, representing the U.S. She also earned a spot on the 1986 USET Dressage World Championships team, later placing fifth in the Grand Prix Freestyle, and won gold with her U.S. dressage team at the North American Championships. In 1987, she was the USET National Grand Prix champion. Rankin also managed an international horse and rider facility, taught equine studies at Stephens College and directed equestrian programs at The Madeira School. She earned her Trainers’ Certification from the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association and a Gold Medal from the U.S. Dressage Federation (1984). In 1994 she was honored by the USET with the Team Master award. Today, Rankin lives in Delray Beach, Fla., where she teaches hunter/jumper and dressage students in the Wellington area.

Sally True Dow-Datilio was a member of both the field hockey and lacrosse teams and also played for the Southeastern National Field Hockey and Southeastern Regional Lacrosse squads. Her national recognition as an accomplished field sport player afforded her many travel opportunities, including a trip to Denver, Colo., for the AIAW/USFHA Field Hockey Championship games. After graduation, Dow-Datilio returned to her native Philadelphia and played for the Merion Cricket Club’s field hockey team before moving to New Hampshire in 1982. While playing for the Northeast Field Hockey Association in New Hampshire, she played in the national tournament. Today, Dow-Datilio helps run a children’s artistic gymnastics school in North Hampton, N.H.

Mary Pope Hutson was a member of the Vixen tennis team throughout her undergraduate career. In 1981, the international affairs major qualified for the national tennis championship held by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). Hutson has been a member of the National Professional Tennis Registry for 20 years and in 2011 held a USTA national ranking in 50s doubles with Sweet Briar classmate Chris “Christy” Falcon Maasbach ’81. She is the executive vice president of Land Trust Alliance. In addition to keeping up her tennis skills, Hutson travels extensively and mentors young people on their careers.

Becca Davidson ’13 and Theodore at the North Carolina State Fair Hunter/Jumper Show.

Riding coach Matt Payne and his hunter show team were in Raleigh, N.C., Oct. 4-7 for the North Carolina State Fair Hunter/Jumper Show. The veteran group of four seniors, all competing on Sweet Briar horses, was missing their youngest member after Jenny Mix ’15 decided to sit out the competition because of an injury to her horse. They were joined, however, by Liz Koslow ’13, who was there as an independent competitor on Sweet Briar’s Oh So Fine.

The team riders were Aly Booth on Hattrick, Ali Davidson on Chase N Gold, Becca Davidson on Theodore and Elizabeth Hansbrough on Love Z — all familiar partners for the women. The team has enjoyed success with these horse-and-rider pairings in previous shows.

On Friday, things got going early as Ali Davidson, Booth, Koslow and Becca Davidson all competed in the Ariat National Adult Medal, placing first, second, third and fifth respectively. Booth won a second-place ribbon in the Adult Amateur 18-35 division, while Ali D. took a fourth and Aly B. snagged two thirds. Koslow was third, seventh and eighth in the division during the weekend.

Hansbrough steadily improved her placings in the Adult Jumper division over the weekend, finishing a class in eighth place, one in fourth and finally second in the North American League Adult Jumper Classic. In the last class, she had the fastest time until the final horse bested her by less than one-tenth of a second.

The team now is preparing for the Randolph Fall Festival on Oct. 27-28. Three team riders have qualified for medal classes taking place that weekend. Mix will represent Sweet Briar in the Randolph Medal, while Hansbrough and Ali Davidson will represent the College in the Oak Ridge Medal Finals.

So to recap, Davidson and Davidson went one-two in the division after Ali edged out Aly for reserve champion.

Two other members of the hunter show team, veteran Elizabeth Hansbrough ’13 and newcomer Jenny Mix ’15 also were busy in the weekend competition. Mix, riding Parliament, who was a gift to the College from Heather Bowen ’07, finished seventh under saddle and seventh over fences on Sunday.

Hansbrough had another fine outing with Sweet Briar’s Love Z, her partner from last year. They were consistent, earning Hansbrough the reserve championship in the Adult Jumper division and sixth in Sunday’s $2,000 NAL Adult Jumper Classic.

The team started the weekend strong with first-, second- and seventh-place finishes in the hunter warm-up class on Saturday, and they kept going from there. Becca Davidson got help from her ride, a school horse named Theodore. Booth and Ali Davidson also competed on Sweet Briar horses, Hattrick and Chase N Gold, respectively. All three riders, along with Hansbrough, are returners from last year’s hunter show team.

Sorting it all out was coach Matt Payne.