Sweet Briar College pulled off a bit of Cinderella magic in Intercollegiate Horse Show Association competition on Sunday, April 5. The Vixens knocked off three-time national IHSA champs Virginia Intermont College to win the IHSA Zone 4 Collegiate Cup and a chance to compete for the national title later this month.

As the Zone 4, Region 2 champions, Sweet Briar competed against Virginia Intermont, the Region 3 winner, and Region 1 winner Mary Washington University, who hosted the zone championship for the Collegiate Cup at Hazelwild Farm in Fredericksburg. Sweet Briar had earned a spot in zones for the first time since 2006, when it was competing in a different region.

By day's end, Sweet Briar's team had accumulated 47 points, VIC 41 and UMW 40. As reserve champions, Virginia Intermont also will send a team to the 2009 nationals.

Vixen head coach Emily Casali said her team went into the zone show as the underdog, facing a one-two punch in the perennially strong VIC team and last year's reserve champions from UMW.

"[We] optimistically entered the weekend hoping to be the winner of the battle for second place, knowing of Virginia Intermont's powerhouse team and University of Mary Washington's strengths and history of winning over Hollins University last season," she said.

"To be the zone champions shows that SBC IHSA is a force to be reckoned with at the National Horse Show," which will be held April 23-26 in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Casali said.

Individual competition also was held during the show. Two Sweet Briar students, senior Alison Sims and junior Paige Kaylor, competed, finishing fourth and third respectively. The top two individual riders advance to the nationals, but Kaylor would fill the second slot if someone drops out.

Sims was the first SBC rider to enter the ring for the day, competing in the Individual Open Equitation Over Fences, where she finished fourth among eight riders from across Zone 4. The national qualifiers in the class came from Virginia Intermont and Mary Washington.

Sims' next turn resulted in a blue ribbon for the Vixen team, as she won a tough Collegiate Cup Open Equitation on the Flat class, followed by UMW in second and VIC in third. She rode again in the next class in the order, Open Equitation Over Fences, for the cup. She finished third, with UMW taking first and VIC second.

At this point, Mary Washington led the pack in team competition with 12 points, SBC had 11 and Virginia Intermont trailed with nine.

The Collegiate Cup classes took a break while individual classes competed. SBC's Kaylor rode in the Individual Intermediate on the Flat class, finishing third, while riders from the College of William and Mary and University of Virginia earned the top two spots and a trip to Murfreesboro.

Back in team competition, SBC junior Heather McPheeters took second behind Virginia Intermont's rider in the Collegiate Cup Intermediate Flat class. Kaylor grabbed another red ribbon for the Vixens in Intermediate Fences, with VIC again taking first place in the class and the overall lead with 23 points. Sweet Briar followed with 21 and UMW had 20.

"The team competitions at zones are generally a close race with only three riders competing," Casali said, noting that with three rather than the usual four regions making up Zone 4, it has one fewer riders competing for the cup than most.

But Sweet Briar was hitting its stride and soon the cliffhanger would be between VIC and UMW to decide the reserve champion. First-year Greer Gordon led the way, winning the Collegiate Cup Novice Flat class for Sweet Briar, followed by Virginia Intermont. Then SBC's Emily Richonne scored a second-place ribbon in Novice Fences behind UMW.

The points stood at SBC 33, VIC 32 and UMW 31. With only two classes to go, it was anyone's game.

Up next, SBC's Emma Rakosky '12 was able hold onto her undefeated record in Walk, Trot, Canter, winning the Collegiate Cup class ahead of UMW in second. With one class to go, she had given the Vixens an insurmountable four-point lead, with the other two teams knotted up at 36 points each.

Sweet Briar could finish last in the final class and still be the IHSA Zone 4 champions. So there was no pressure on junior Alysha Norbury, who proceeded to win the Walk, Trot class. Virginia Intermont took second, making them reserve zone champions and guaranteeing them a spot at nationals.