NEWS

In response to the intercollegiate tournament season being cancelled due to a majority of the college programs having restrictions on competition and travel, the Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) program launched the Virtual Tournament of Champions to keep teams engaged and connected throughout the season. Each region competed in a series of three tasks and points were earned in each category from first through fifth place. At the completion of each of the regional tasks, a regional champion was crowned. The four regional winning teams along with two wild card teams advanced to the National Championship round. The national round consisted of an additional three tasks, each with point values first through fifth place. The team with the most points at the end of the three rounds was crowned the Virtual Tournament of Champions – National Champion and received the grand prize of a complete saddle with leathers and irons. Second and third place winners took home a box of arena balls.

Utilizing their equine backgrounds to their advantage, Montana State University (MSU) took a commanding lead in the National Quiz bowl. In the second task round, Oklahoma State University (OSU) showed off their penalty shooting skills and earned themselves 50 points on the leaderboard. After the points were tallied there was a four-way tie for first place between Oklahoma State University, University of South Carolina Aiken (USC-Aiken), Skidmore College and Montana State University. Opting not to compete in the third round, University Of Virginia (UVA) and Oregon State University stepped down. Reviewed by a panel of experts, Oklahoma State University won the horsemanship riding pattern round and were awarded a grooming package worth $500.00, complete with a set of cordless clippers. Oklahoma State University was crowned the victors and Skidmore College the runners up, with Montana State finishing in third place.

Task # 1 – Virtual Quiz Bowl

In the first round, each team competed against the same set of Jeopardy style questions individually. Each team was ranked one through six, with the top three teams competing head-to-head for first through third place honors. The winning team took home a $500 FarmVet gift card.

1: Montana State University (Bozeman, Montana)
2: USC-Aiken (Aiken, South Carolina)
3: Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, New York)
4: Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Oklahoma)
5: University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia)
6: Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon)

Task # 2 – Mounted Penalty Shootout

Teams selected one player to participate in a live mounted penalty shootout via Zoom. The winning team received 12 custom made saddle pads for their string!

1: Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Oklahoma)
2: Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, New York)
3: USC-Aiken (Aiken, South Carolina)
4: Montana State University (Bozeman, Montana)
5: University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia)
6: Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon)

Task # 3 – Mounted Riding Pattern

The third task tested horsemanship and the teams selected one player to perform a mounted riding pattern and posted the video on social media. A committee reviewed all the videos and placed the teams in order of finish. The winning team in this round received a complete grooming package worth $500 including a brand new set of cordless clippers.

1: Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Oklahoma)
2: Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, New York)
3: Montana State University (Bozeman, Montana)
4: USC-Aiken (Aiken, South Carolina)

Award Winners:

Rookie of the Year Award: Morehouse College (Tyrone, Georgia) - Box of arena balls
Hermoine Award (Most Studious Award): Montana State University (Bozeman, Montana) - Stirrup leathers
Most Valuable Player of the Tiki Tiki Challenge: Jack McLean – University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia) - Indo balance board
Golden Snitch Award (Team Spirit): Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan) - Custom polo belts

*Thank you to FarmVet who gifted all the national participants a grooming towel.