photo courtesy Seton Hill University Equestrian team
Born as a club sport some 30 years ago, the Seton Hill University women’s Equestrian team has enjoyed a proud history. It has also seen several changes in the program and the school during that time.
The former all-girls Catholic college, Seton Hill received University status in July 2002 and became a full-fledged, co-educational institution the next year.
A club sport that was administered and funded under the Seton Hill athletic department, the Equestrian team made the move to fully accredited NCAA status in 2006.
Coach Abbe Wagenblast has been guiding the Seton Hill Equestrian program since 1999. She’s seen the changes at the school and experienced the changes in the athletic department as she led them through their transition to NCAA status.
Wagenblast operates the Westmoreland Equestrian Center in Greensburg, just a few miles from the picturesque setting of Seton Hill, nestled in the Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania. When hired, she immediately went about increasing the size of the team.
“We really wanted to increase participation early on,” Wagenblast stated. “We wanted to give these girls the opportunity to ride and be the best riders they could be. And of course to represent the school well.”
The Griffins compete in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. According to their web site, the IHSA “Was founded on the principle that any college student should be able to participate in horse shows regardless of his or her riding ability or financial status.”
This season has been one of their best as Wagenblast has placed seven of her Griffins riders into regional competition. The Griffins compete in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. According to their web site, the IHSA “Was founded on the principle that any college student should be able to participate in horse shows regardless of his or her riding ability or financial status.”
In recent years, standout rider Erin Albert, class of 2010, has placed in several events at the IHSA National Championships. She made it to nationals in two of her four years on the team, and won a 5th place ribbon her sophomore year competing for the Cacchione Cup, which is awarded to the top hunter seat open rider in three phases of competition.
The University made a wise decision in hiring Albert to serve as the graduate assistant coach of the Equestrian team this year.
“Erin is a very talented rider,” said Wagenblast. “She’s very driven about the team. This season, she’s helped out with the details for the team, and that’s been a tremendous help to all of us.”
Whether it’s fund raising, or paperwork or scheduling, Albert has been the heart and soul of the team since her arrival on campus in 2006. She served as captain of the team for her final three years.
“One of the biggest draws to our program,” explained Albert, “is the fact that we offer scholarships for our riders. That’s pretty unique for this region of the country.”
Currently, the team receives the equivalent of three full scholarships. Those scholarship dollars are divided among team members. The Athletic Department reviews those scholarship numbers every year.
Former Athletic/Activities Director and now women’s soccer coach John Fogle started his career at Seton Hill in 1972. “I was the Activities Director as we called it back then,” he said. “When we added more intercollegiate sports, I became the Athletic Director. We started the Equestrian team in 1981 as a club sport to pursue competition against other schools.”
Current Athletic Director, Chris Snyder, has been on the job since 2004 and steered the Equestrian team into full NCAA intercollegiate status in 2006.
“Because the team was always housed under the Athletic Department, we thought it would be a great addition to make the team a full-fledged member of the NCAA,” Snyder said. “There was no sense keeping it at club level status with their history and tradition. We felt it was a great opportunity for our team to compete on the NCAA level. We want to make sure and ensure that we’re providing the team members with every opportunity to be successful.”
Coach Wagenblast feels the same way about the growth of Seton Hill. “The University has grown and that growth has given us more recognition,” she said. “Going from College to University status has probably been the biggest factor in our program’s development. We’ve been competing for a while at pretty good level.”
As for the proof of that competitiveness, this season the Griffins have placed seven girls in 10 different events at their regional competition.
“It is the most successful season for us as far as putting that many girls into the regional competition,” said Wagenblast. “It’s a huge accomplishment and I’m very proud of their performance. The team works as a whole and the girls are always there supporting each other and helping each other. It’s been a great year for us.”
