LAURINBURG, N.C. - The College of Charleston Equestrian team finished in ninth place out of 20 teams this past weekend at the Holiday Tournament of Champions at St. Andrews Presbyterian College.

Competing against some of the top teams in the nation, Head Coach Bob Story said it was a good show for his team.

"It was a good test for the girls after only three shows in the fall," he said. "Luckily we were in a covered arena since we had really cold, windy conditions with copious amounts of sleet, snow, and rain throughout the day. The girls stayed focused and, most importantly, rode mistake free."

Sophomore Zoe Merritt started the day with a sixth place Open Flat followed by Senior Crystal Threlfall second place finish in Open Fences. Junior Danielle Huntsman was fourth in Novice Flat with Senior Ali Dowty riding to a first place finish in Novice Fences. Senior Alex Percival finished fourth in Walk Trot.

Senior Crystal Threlfall was the Cougars entry in The Tournament of Champions Medal Class which saw 20 of the top riders in the nation compete. Crystal was in second after the flat phase of the class. After a near perfect jumping round Threlfall was in first with only the test of the top four riders remaining. Once again Crystal went in and laid down a near flawless jumping round in the test, winning the TOC Medal Class.

Story said he was happy with how his team competed and he is looking forward to the Cougars spring schedule.

"The girls stayed focused and, most importantly, rode mistake free," he said. "Obviously I would like to win every time we show but I'm pleased with where we are at competitively right now. We have six shows in the spring starting with the University of Florida on Jan. 22."

  Team Standings

1. Delaware Valley College          28

2. St Andrews (A)                           27

3. Virginia Intermont (A)                 26

4. Virginia Tech                              24

5. Viginia Intermont (B)                  23

6. Skidmore                                    21

7. Mt Holyoke                                  21

8. St Andrews (B)                           20

9. Charleston                                  19

10. Tufts                                          19

11. Penn State                               16

12. SCAD                                       16

13. Stonehill                                    15

14. West Virginia                           14

15. Lynchburg                                 13

16. New Hampshire                       13

17. North Carolina                          11

18. Berry                                          11

19. South Carolina                            9

20. Delaware                                     6