Gryphon Spotlight Homepage

BRONXVILLE, N.Y.—In most collegiate sports, graduation marks the end of a competitive career. Many student-athletes go on to play in recreational leagues and a rare few advance to play professionally. The typical student-athlete gets four seasons to compete, but one Sarah Lawrence College alumna is part of a sport that breaks from the usual tradition.

Sarah Lawrence graduate Liz Stitzel '09 was a standout equestrian rider in her college days, and in the coming weeks, she will embark on a rare opportunity to continue competing for the Gryphons, years after finishing her degree. As a part of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Alumni Division, Stitzel joins hundreds of riders who continue to compete well after finishing their undergraduate career.

"Since graduation I haven't been able to ride as much," explains Stitzel. "This past summer, I realized I was really missing riding and showing. After a talk with [Sarah Lawrence Head Coach Lori Rakoczy], I decided to look into the IHSA Alumni Division and it's been great."

Now, she is able to compete on weekends and to train regularly at Faraway Farm with head trainer Miranda Scott SLC '92.

Stitzel began riding at age 7 and was immediately drawn to the sport. In her own words, she "was your typical horse crazy little girl. When I started riding it just clicked. I hadn't found a team sport that I really enjoyed and I loved working in the barn with the horses."

At Sarah Lawrence, the sport provided a necessary break from the College's notoriously challenging classes.

"Going out to the barn was a great way to clear my head and take a break. It's easy to get stressed out by the Sarah Lawrence course load, and riding was my way to calm down and refocus.

As an undergraduate student, Stitzel went on to be a four-time regional and zone qualifier, competing in the highest classes: open flat and open fences. As a rookie, she finished as Reserve Region Champion and Reserve Zone Champion on the flat, earning her first ticket to the National Championships.

In her sophomore year, Stitzel represented Sarah Lawrence and the region as a Cacchione Cup Rider. The Cacchione Cup is an elite-level competition in which each region across the country is represented by its regular-season points leader. In both trips to the National Championships, Stitzel showcased herself as one of the top 20 collegiate riders in the nation.

"I am thankful every day for my time at SLC," reflects Stitzel. "The time-management and critical-thinking skills that I had learned at Sarah Lawrence helped me first as a Teach For America high-school teacher and now as a Senate employee. Further, the ability to write is something that is prized by all employers and sets SLC graduates apart from other young professionals."

In her daily life, she says that riding has become part of her identity. "Over the years riding has taken different roles in my life, but I still feel that my 'home' is in the saddle; it's where I'm the happiest. Riding takes a lot of time. I would never say that I 'gave things up' to ride, but there are things I have not done because I've chosen to go to the barn instead."

This year, Stitzel has been able to rekindle her love of competitive riding in the IHSA's Alumni Division. Competition is open to anyone who rode on an IHSA team as an undergraduate student. Like undergraduates, these riders compete at a Regional Championship with winners advancing to Zone Championships and finally National Championships.

The resident of Washington, D.C., is set to compete in the Zone 4 Region 1 Championships on March 30, with a chance of advancing to the Zone 4 Championships on April 6. She will have to finish as one of the top riders at each event as she pursues the opportunity to compete at the IHSA National Championships next month in Harrisburg, Pa.

While equestrian is a challenge for all its participants, Stitzel encourages any would-be riders to give the sport a try. "Riding is an amazing, life-long sport, and the people on the Sarah Lawrence equestrian team are fantastic. Many of my best friends from SLC are my former teammates."

Beginners may be intimidated by the sport at first, but IHSA competition is designed to support beginners as well as advanced riders. With the unique system of the IHSA Alumni Division, student-athletes have an opportunity to win a national championship on behalf of their schools, even if the achievement takes more than four years to accomplish.

UPDATE: Liz Stitzel went on to win her Regional and Zone competitions, advancing to the IHSA National Championships in Harrisburg, Pa. After taking second place in the Over Fences class, she rounded out an incredible weekend by becoming IHSA National Champion in the Alumni Equitation on the Flat class.