Fairfield, CT (April 11, 2016) – Defending Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) national Collegiate Cup hunt seat champions, the SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) Bees coached by Ashley Henry, and ‘hometown’ contenders, the University of Kentucky Wildcats, coached by Diana Conlon, are among the 25 hunt seat and western riding teams that, at the conclusion of the collegiate equestrian equivalent of March Madness, have qualified for the 44th IHSA National Championships, May 5-8, in the Alltech Arena at Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park. Joining them are more than 400 top-ranked IHSA riders who will also be competing for individual national titles at the oldest, largest and most prestigious competition of its kind for college riders in North America.
Respectively, the qualified IHSA hunt seat Zone champion and reserve teams:
Zone 1: University of Vermont, Mount Holyoke College
Zone 2: Saint Lawrence University, Skidmore College
Zone 3: Centenary College, Delaware Valley University
Zone 4: St. Andrews University, Goucher College
Zone 5: Savannah College of Art and Design, Louisiana State University
Zone 6: University of Kentucky, University of Findlay
Zone 7: Purdue University, Kansas State University
Zone 8: Stanford University, University of Southern California
The following IHSA western teams have qualified:
St. Andrews University (Zone 4), Berry College (Zone 5), Ohio State University, University of Findlay and University of Louisville (Zone 6), Black Hawk College, West Texas A&M University (Zone 7), and Oregon State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Zone 8).
In 1967 IHSA was created so that students of any race, gender, economic background or skill level could participate and ride for their school in collegiate competition. In 2017, IHSA will celebrate the 50th Golden Anniversary of its founding by 18 year-old Fairleigh-Dickinson University sophomore Business major, Robert E. ‘Bob’ Cacchione, who continues to lead as executive director and in 2011 was recognized with the Zoetis Equine Industry Vision Award for his dedication to generations of riders and the sport. Go to www.ihsainc.com for complete results and coverage of the IHSA National Championships, including a link to a live stream feed provided by EQSportsNet and follow the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association on its official Facebook and Instagram pages (#rideihsa).
![[photo credit: Al Cook]](https://s198a8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/SCADCollegiate15AshleyHenrycoachAlCookPhoto.jpg)