ITHACA, N.Y. —- The Big Red Equestrian team will travel to Rochester for a double-header competition on Saturday, Oct. 12 and Sunday, Oct. 13.
Cornell equestrian is entering the 2024-25 season with a solid returning group of athletes.
Head Coach, Joanna Novakovic said, "We're bringing back a lot of talent from last year, including our two National award winners, Riley Gerardo and Jillian Steinmetz."
Gerardo is returning to the Big Red for her junior season as a competitor in the open flat and open fences categories. Gerardo is coming off of a solid sophomore season as she placed 6th in intermediate equation on the flat at the IHSA Nationals, which was her first collegiate nationals competition. Gerardo also placed 1st in class b open fences at the Ivy League Championships last season.
Steinmetz is returning for her senior season with Cornell as a competitor in the intermediate flat and intermediate fences categories. Last season, Steinmetz ended the year by placing 6th in limit equation over fences in her first IHSA Nationals appearance. Steinmetz also placed 1st in intermediate fences at the Ivy League Championships last season.
The Big Red are also welcoming a new group of athletes to the team this year.
"We also gained a lot of new talent in our rookies this year and are looking forward to seeing what they can do for us in competition,"said Novakovic.
With the mix of returning veterans and newcomers, the equestrian team sets its sights on the first shows of the season, RIT Show I and RIT Show II.
"The first competition of the year is always interesting to see," said Novakovic. "It's great to have the double-header format so that the athletes can make corrections from day one to day two if needed."
Last season at the opening double-header weekend at RIT, Cornell was able to capture the high point championship on both days of competition. Alongside the team capturing first place as a whole, six athletes recorded first place finishes individually on day one including returners Posie Price (open flat), Jianna Simcik (limit fences) and Sunny Liu (novice).
On the second day of the RIT double-header last season, Simcik was the high point rider of the day. She logged first-place finishes in both limit fences and limit flat. Other first place finishers on day two that returned for the 2024-25 season were Liu (novice), Evelyn Gurvich (novice), Natalie Ferguson (novice) and Lauren Benson (introductory).
Overall for the Big Red in the RIT double-header season opener, Cornell swept the weekend gaining first place on both days six times out of 13 seasons. The Big Red has put up a total of 17 first place victories out of the 26 days of RIT double-header competition since 2010.
The Big Red will look to capture the high point championship on both days of competition once again when it opens competition on October 12th at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
"Overall, we are bringing back some very strong and experienced athletes," said Novakovic. "I feel confident about their ability to win."
