REHOBOTH, Mass.- The Roger Williams equestrian team finished up their regular season riding with a fifth place at the Johnson & Wales Show hosted at the Johnson & Wales Equine Center on Saturday.  Brown University was High Point College, with Post University taking Reserve. 

Two Hawks claimed top honors in their classes, as senior Lauren Rarich (Slingerlands, N.Y.) won her section of intermediate fences, while Coach Eliza Davis also earned a win, as she was called upon to fill a place in alumni flat.

Six riders collected second place finishes, with three of the red ribbons in novice flat.  Cicely Hislop (Thorndike, Mass.), Alyssa Shankman (Newtown, Conn.) and senior tri-captain Jacqueline Urankar (Bay Village, Ohio) all took second, and Urankar's performance earned her enough points to qualify for Regionals.  Walk-trot riders Becky Bryant (West Boylston, Mass.) and Amy Silvia (Walpole, Mass.) also took second place, with junior Ashley Gagnon (Lunenburg, Mass.) taking second in intermediate flat.

Three additional riders also qualified for Regionals with their performances at the show, including freshman Shannon O'Keefe (Glastonbury, Conn.) and senior tri-captain Courtney Fraser (Willington, Conn.) who both took fourth in separate sections of open fences.  Freshman Alicia Levy (Wantagh, N.Y.) punched her ticket for Regionals with a fourth place in advanced walk-trot-canter.

Roger Williams will be sending an impressive fourteen riders to the Regional show hosted by Connecticut College at Mystic Valley Hunt Club on March 29th.  Representing the Hawks will be junior Kathryn Johnson (Sandwich, Mass.) in walk-trot and sophomore Courtney Levitsky (Phoenixville, Pa.), Levy, and Hislop in walk-trot-canter.  Six Hawks will ride in novice flat, including senior Jessica Miller (Smithtown, N.Y.), junior tri-captain Danica Kucinski (Shutesbury, Mass.), Urankar, Caitlin Doolittle (Farmington, Conn.) sophomore Samantha Taylor (Essex Jct., Vt.) and Gagnon. Sophomore Kayla Waskiewicz (Bristol, R.I.) and Rarich will compete in intermediate flat, and Doolittle and Rarich will show in novice fences.  Waskiewicz will also compete in intermediate fences, with O'Keefe and Fraser rounding out the group in open fences.

With the team win for Brown, the Bears clinch the Zone 1 Region 1 team title.  They will send a full team to Zone Finals held at Mount Holyoke College on April 5th.  Roger Williams riders must earn a first or second place at Regionals to qualify as an individual for Zones.

Complete Team Scores:

1) Brown University          41
2) Post University             36
3) U.R.I.                              33
4) UConn                           31
5) Roger Williams            29
6) Johnson & Wales        28
7) Rhode Island College 25
8) Central Conn. State     21
9) Wesleyan University    11
10) Connecticut College  8
11) Trinity College             1