March 9, 2002

Canyon, Texas - Amber Everhart of Kansas State earned a season-best first-place finish in beginner horsemanship on Saturday, leading the Wildcat equestrian team's effort at the Region 2 Championships hosted by West Texas A&M.

Everhart will be among four Western riders and three English riders who qualified for the upcoming Zone 7 competition to be held April 6 in Stillwater, Okla.

Kelly Gratny finished second in open reining for the Western team, while Jessica Gittleman (beginner horsemanship) and Brandi Vogel (advanced II horsemanship) will both advance with their third-place trophies.

Kelli Wilson earned a season-best second-place finish in advanced walk/trot/canter. Stephanie Angalet finished in second-place in walk/trot, and teammate Angie Guglielmino brought home a third-place finish in intermediate flat.

"We had to ride difficult horses today, but we were able to have a majority of our riders qualify for Zone Competition," said K-State equestrian coach Lindsay Breidenthal. "We have a very positive outlook going into these next few weeks of preparation. We were happy with everyone's performance today."

The top two finishers in each class at Zone competition will advance to national competition in Syracuse, N.Y., on May 2 through 5.

--ksu--