Cruisers Saddle up for Regionals after State podium runs

The Eatonville High School equestrian team turned in a strong performance at the WAHSET State Finals, collecting multiple top-five finishes across individual and team events at the Grant County Fairgrounds.

The Eatonville High School equestrian team poses for a photo during the WAHSET State Finals in Moses Lake. Top row, from left: Ella Sturgis, Emma Adams, Morgan Eichost, Kaydence Hill, Olivia Benham, Dakota Murra, Ava Payne, Kali Olson, Zoey Shoopman and Natalie Foster. Bottom row, from left: Hadley Noble, Macey Dudley, Mariah Torgeson-Widger, Kaydence Maloney and Jillian Phelps. Photo: Krystal Benham

WAHSET, the Washington High School Equestrian Teams organization, is a non-profit interscholastic program that treats equestrianism like any other varsity high school sport, allowing students in grades 9-12 to compete in a wide range of disciplines while officially representing their schools. Athletes compete in district meets through the winter and spring with the goal of qualifying for the State Championship Meet. This year's finals drew the top programs in Washington to Moses Lake for four days of competition.

Competition ran May 14-17, bringing together the top high school equestrian programs in Washington state. Eatonville riders placed in seven individual events and three team disciplines, with a number of athletes earning berths to the regional championships next month.

Head coach Michelle Woolf said the team arrived at state more prepared than in previous years. "It's definitely been an exceptional year for the team," she said. "Everyone came in on horses ready to compete and a little more seasoned than we have had in the past. It made the team try harder as individuals because they could all see at practice what the meets were going to be like. Quite honestly, any one of the athletes could have won any of the events any day, so that made it pretty exciting to watch through the season -- and state was no different."

Freshman Macey Dudley led the individual performers, finishing second in barrels and fifth in breakaway. Barrels is a timed speed event in which horse and rider navigate a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels, while breakaway roping tests a rider's ability to rope a calf cleanly and quickly. Also placing second were freshman Natalie Foster in driving and sophomore Kalli Olson in steer daubing. The trio's runner-up showings headlined what was a productive meet for Eatonville across multiple disciplines.

Sophomore Kaydence Hill added a fifth-place finish in figure 8, an event that tests precision and control as horse and rider navigate a figure-eight pattern around two markers, and a seventh in barrels. Olivia Benham placed sixth in figure 8, while sisters Ava Weaver and Heidi Weaver each placed in jumping, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively.

Woolf acknowledged some adversity along the way. "At state we had a little hard luck and a couple of unfortunate accidents in a few events that could have been top placers, but they powered on and finished well," she said. "The teamwork and sportsmanship with this year's team is off the chain. They really make me proud to say I'm part of their team."

On the team side, Benham and Hill teamed up to take third place in biwrangle, a two-person event combining horsemanship and teamwork. The Canadian Flags squad of Dakota Murra, Morgan Eichost, Mariah Torgeson-Widger and Kaydence Maloney finished fourth. The Eatonville drill team rounded out the team results with a fifth-place finish. That squad included Zoey Shoopman, Ava Weaver, Heidi Weaver, Foster, Olson, Benham, Hill, Emma Adams, Ella Sturgis and Torgeson-Widger. Drill team competition showcases a coordinated group of riders performing choreographed patterns and maneuvers in the arena, judged on precision, synchronization and overall presentation.

Woolf was especially pleased to see the drill team punch through to the next round. "I can't remember the last time our drill team made it to PNWIC," she said. "They have been working hard and powered through random horse replacements and sick athletes this winter, so I'm really excited it all worked out the way it did for them." She also credited her coaching staff and families for keeping the program running. "A big thank you to drill coaches Tricia and Chris Reed and backup coaches Krystal and Dustin Benham for helping things run smoothly, and to all the parents for showing up. Our parents make this all happen -- getting the kids to all the places and then volunteering their time when they get there."

Their finishes punched tickets to the Pacific Northwest Invitational Championship, the elite season-finale event that serves as the regional championship between WAHSET and its Oregon counterpart, OHSET. Only the top five teams and individuals from each event at the state championships in both Washington and Oregon earn a spot in the field, making it one of the most competitive high school equestrian events in the Pacific Northwest.

The PNWIC-bound contingent from Eatonville includes Dudley, who qualified in both barrels and breakaway; Foster, who qualified in driving; and Olson through her second-place finish in steer daubing. Hill qualified individually in figure 8. Benham and Hill both advance through their third-place biwrangle finish. The full Canadian Flags team of Murra, Eichost, Torgeson-Widger and Maloney qualified via their fourth-place result. The entire drill team roster -- Shoopman, Ava Weaver, Heidi Weaver, Foster, Olson, Benham, Hill, Adams, Sturgis and Torgeson-Widger -- also advances through the team's fifth-place finish.

The PNWIC is scheduled for June 18-21 at the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake. "Everyone is pretty excited to get back to Moses Lake," Woolf said. "I can't wait to see how it goes."