SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- The Mount Holyoke hunt seat riding team tied the University of Rhode Island with 42 points apiece, and two tiebreakers were needed to name URI champion and MHC the reserve champion at the IHSA Zone 1 Championships held Saturday at the MHC Equestrian Center.

Both MHC and URI finished with 42 points at the end of the day, and both teams also had three first-place event finishes apiece. URI won the second tiebreaker with three second-place finishes to Mount Holyoke's two. The University of Vermont finished third with 36 points, and Boston University was fourth with 29.

With the top two teams in each IHSA Zone Championship advancing to IHSA nationals, Mount Holyoke will join Rhode Island in competing for the team championship April 30 through May 3 at Tryon International in Mill Spring, N.C.

Sophomore Emi Graf (Belmont, Mass.) started in Team Open Fences with a beautiful ride and earned first place on Dino, provided by Mount Holyoke College. Graf went back into the ring for Individual Intermediate Fences, placing fourth.

Next in Team Intermediate classes was freshman Sophia Bull (Lumberton, N.J.). Bull rode Syd, provided by Mount Holyoke College, and rode to a second place, earning 5 points for the team. She went back into the ring for Individual Limit Fences riding Cappy, and placed fifth.

Junior Grace Neumuth (Marlborough, Conn.) went into the ring aboard Tex for Team Limit Fences, placing second and earning another 5 points to MHC's ( total team score.

After a short schooling break, Individual Novice went into the ring. Sophomore Bessie Huggins (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) placed sixth, and junior Lainey Nibbio (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) was named Champion of the class and earned herself a spot at IHSA Nationals.

First-year Nory van Rhyn (Montclair, N.J.) rode Lily, provided by Muddy Brook Farm, in Team Novice, and placed first, earning 7 points for the team.

In the Individual Introductory division, seniors Lia Liang (Beijing, China) and Kenny Yang (Jiangsu, China) had great rides and placed sixth and eighth, respectively.

In Team Introductory, sophomore Peixi Jia (Dongguan, China) rode Charlie, provided by Hunters Ridge, and placed first, earning yet another 7 points for the team.

Graf and Neumuth entered the ring again for Individual Limit Flat. Graf placed fourth and Neumuth placed 8th.

Team Limit Flat went next, and Bull rode to a fourth place on Rusty, provided by Mount Holyoke College.

In Individual Intermediate Flat, senior Charlotte Subak (Brooklyn, N.Y.) rode Lily, provided by Muddy Brook Farm, and placed fifth.

In our final two team classes:

Grace Neumuth rode Barnaby, provided by Hunters Ridge, and placed third.

Subak went into the ring again for Team Open Flat on our very own Dino and placed third, earning 4 more points for our team.

-- Reporting by Grace Neumuth