The Monroe High School Equestrian Team has ridden its way into the state championships for the first time ever.  With its “Reserve Champion” placement last weekend in Region E, the team has qualified to compete in the state championships in Midland, Oct. 15-18.  The Monroe High School team is the only Monroe County team to qualify for the state championships.

            A club sports team, the equestrians have been riding representing Monroe High School since 2003, said Coach Sheri Kalenkiewicz.  Mike Humphries is the assistant coach and Loren Huber is the team assistant/alumni advisor.

            Riders for the team are:  Seniors Sara Kalenkiewicz, Samantha Humphries, and Jessica Vanderlan; junior Aleesha Colpaert, sophomores Peyton Zorn and Mackynze Slatinsky, and freshman Rylee Richardson. 

            The run for championships is quite a story.  Last year, the group was very pleased to make the regionals.  This year, competing in District 7, they were crowned champions after being Reserve Champs in 2014.  In fact, they won the division championship several weeks ago with 518 points compared with 334 for the second-place school.  With the regional win last weekend, no one remembers the team ever having gone so far.  But don’t call the team’s run a “fairy tale,” because a state championship has been their goal all along this season.  

            Competition at the state level is spread over four days with different riders participating in different competitions on different days.  The riders, their families and their horses stay up in Midland for those days – not an inexpensive venture for the families since this is a club sport with no financial support from the MHS Athletic Department.  Mrs. Kalenkiewicz said the participants and their families must pay for their lodging and the horses’ lodging and food, too, so sponsors always are welcome.MHS equestrian team in state finals