Edited Press Release
Savannah, Georgia, 1/26/25 – It was perhaps the most historic Tournament in the 34-year history… for several reasons. Reason One: a record snow storm. We don’t hold Winter Classic in Savannah so northern colleges can wear their snow gear, but that’s just what happened, as Savannah nearly doubled the all-time record snowfall two days before teams showed up. The SCAD staff and students worked miracles to pull off a national-level event under the worst of circumstances, the airport opened just in time for teams to arrive, and everyone was remarkably positive and appreciative. If anything, teams were more boisterous than usual, the arena ringing out with cheers and applause throughout the day.
The covered ring footing was perfect, but the poor SCAD students led horses back and forth through snow on Friday schooling day, then everyone on Saturday waded through mud left by melting snow and ice. Savannah’s beautiful historic district had snow-packed streets and side walks days later, due to absence of snowplows and salt trucks in the city… and township, county, and maybe even the state. The show was delayed two hours to let ice melt. Awards Ceremony pics have a different vibe since they were taken after dark. This is one of the few Tournaments when the weather experience was one of the main takeaways.
But once again, SCAD made history in the show ring, claiming both Tournament Champion Team and Reserve Champion Team for the second time in six weeks. SCAD earns two teams at the Tournaments because they were the Series Champs last year, and usually there is definitely one team stronger than the other. This time, both SCAD teams started strong and took an early lead over the rest of the field, and halfway through the day, the SCAD Bee-Strong Team, led by Celia Cram, was in a dead tie with the SCAD Bee-Lieve team, led by Alex Alston. They ran away from the field and ended in a tie, both teams scoring 50 points. Enter the Tournament of Champions tie-breaker system that has served well for 34 years… Most blue ribbons: tied. Most reds: still tied. Most jumping points: STILL TIED! The Tournament director created a new fourth tie breaker, which would be who placed higher in Open Fences… still tied. Finally, in the fifth tie breaker, highest place in Intermediate Fences, Alston’s Bee-Lieve team broke the tie and earned the Champion prize. Alex Alston was not there for pics at the end because he was back in Wellington, where he is competing.
Adding to the historic show, Celia Cram won her eighth Tournament of Champions High Medal, breaking her own record that she set in December. The Purdue Boilermakers were the only team making a serious challenge to SCAD, finishing in 3rd Place with 36 points. Sacred Heart challenged Purdue before a quiet finish left them in 4th Place with 31. DELVAL won Novice to race past Lynchburg and Hollins in the final team class. Penn State barely edged out Skidmore and Mount Holyoke to claim the 8th Place team ribbon.
In all, SCAD won ten of the the sixteen blue ribbons in team classes. Purdue and Lynchburg were the only other teams to win more than one blue ribbon. Mount Holyoke, Skidmore, and Purdue scored high enough to keep themselves in striking distance of SCAD for the Tournament Series Championship. Otterbein did not compete, but they also are in the mix for the Series Championship, which will conclude at the Spring Classic horse show, hosted by the University of Findlay in Ohio, March 22.
The High Medal class competed in three groups of flat riders, with the judge choosing the top eight riders to compete over fences. The finalists included several predictable names, including Celia Cram and Alex Alston from SCAD, Mount Holyoke’s Cate Bates, Isabella Karr from Vermont, and Cara McFadden of Penn State. Following the over fences round, Cram and Alston were recalled to additional testing, with Cram ultimately winning her 8th Championship. Alston has previously won twice himself.
In the Low Medal, three SCAD entries made the callback, as well as two Skidmore riders and Penn State’s Emily Walter, who had previously won the class this season. Without additional testing, SCAD’s Kenzie Paul finished on top—her first Medal Championship, with her teammate, Karma Redman in Reserve. Skidmore’s Ani McIntyre and Penn State’s Emily Walter rode well for the 3rd and 4th Places.
The ETS Medal was the best group ever, with twelve high school riders from ten different states competing in the same format as the collegiate medals. ETS Medal entries are taken from the ETS Boot Camp clinics, hosted by various colleges throughout the year. Riders get to work with college coaches for the day, to get the experience of being part of a college team. At each ETS clinic, a rider is named the “Most Outstanding Rider”, and the ETS Medal class at the Winter Classic included six Most Outstanding Riders, as well as three others who had previously been Champion or Reserve Champion in ETS Medals at other Tournaments. Ayla Finfrock, Class of ’27 from Mahomet, Illinois won the top spot, with Isla Bone, ’27, of Marietta, Georgia in Reserve. Finfrock was working with the Skidmore team, and Bone was with the Lynchburg team. Finfrock has been Most Outstanding Rider at the ETS Illinois clinic in Urbana last year.
The judge for the Winter Classic was Alice Coke, USEF Large R, from Sewanee, Tennessee. Alice has previously judged the Tournament, as well as having judged IHSA Nationals twice, Maclay Regionals, Devon, Capital Challenge, and the Penn National Horse Show. She is also the new Equestrian Director of Sewanee-The University of the South.
Stewards included Belinda Cogan, Skidmore College: Phillip Williamson, University of Lynch burg; and Ciara Menkens, Delaware Valley University.
The 34th season of Tournament of Champions will conclude March 22 at the University of Findlay in northwest Ohio. The 35th Anniversary season of Tournament of Champions will begin September 26 at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland. The 35th Annual Holiday Tournament will be held in December at Centenary University in New Jersey, the college who has hosted the second-most show in Tournament history (SCAD has hosted the most), then will continue at SCAD in January and Findlay in March.
Questions about the Tournament of Champions or ETS Boot Camps and ETS Medal may be addressed to Jim Arrigon of Beckett Run Riding, the Director of both programs, at BeckettRunRiding@gmail.com.
Champion Team – SCAD – Team Bee-lieve – 50 pts. *
Reserve Champion – SCAD – Team Bee-strong – 50 pts.
3 -Purdue University – 36
4 – Sacred Heart University – 31
5 – Delaware Valley University – 29
6 – University of Lynchburg – 28*
7 – Hollins University – 28
8- Penn State University -29
9 – Skidmore College -19*
10 – University of Delaware – 19*
11 – Mt. Holyoke College – 19
12 – Midway University – 13
13 – University of Vermont – 10
HIGH MEDAL Champion – Celia Cram – SCAD
Reserve Champion – Alex Alston – SCAD
3 – Cara McFadden – Penn State University
4 – Nikki Albert – Sacred Heart University
5 – Isabell Karr – University of Vermont
6 – Evan Holt – Delaware Valley University
7 – Cate Bates – Mt. Holyoke College
8 – Lauren Radl – Sacred Heart University
SERIES CHAMPION will be the highest point total of TWO Tournament shows.
Current Top Ten leaders:
SCAD—41 Holiday + 50 Winter = 45.5 avg.
Otterbein—42 + 28 35.0
Sacred Heart – 31 + 31 31.0
Mount Holyoke—39, 22 30.5
Skidmore— 37, 24 30.5
Purdue – 21 + 36 28.5
Lynchburg – 27 + 28 27.5
Hollins – 19 + 28 23.5
Sweet Briar – 0, 21 21.0
Goucher – 30, 11 20.5
The Finale of the 2024-25 season will be the Spring Classic, March 22 at the University of Findlay, Findlay, Ohio.
Presented by Beckett Run
