Oregon City equestrian rolling into state

The Oregon City equestrian team continued its dominant season recently, securing victories in back-to-back meets held at the Yamhill County Fairgrounds in McMinnville.

First, from March 14-17, the Pioneers excelled in their second meet of the season, accumulating a total of 989 points, while their closest competitor, Molalla, trailed with 693 points.

Leading the charge was senior Anna Hamersly, who dominated as the top individual scorer with an impressive 96 points. Hamersly was well-supported by freshman Ava Thomas, senior René Haltiner, sophomore Lilly Zuber, and junior Josie Davis, who contributed 76, 71, 70, and 69 points, respectively.

Furthermore, the team's collective effort was evident in its top “team point” finishers, with junior Braelee Borden leading with 272 points, followed by Haltiner, Hamersly, Thomas, and freshman Evelyn Grzemkowski.

In the victory, Oregon City faced an unexpected setback with one athlete unable to compete.

Ultimately, they tackled the challenge of filling in missing positions, even utilizing a "ghost rider" in the drill team event, which they still managed to win. Meanwhile, sophomore Callie Arnold showcased her versatility by stepping up to the "A" Canadian Flag team, contributing to their first-place finish, and freshman Esther Hoffman switched to a competing athlete role shortly before the event, securing a fifth-place finish in Western despite being new to horse riding.

Then, just a few weeks after withstanding those difficult circumstances back in March, the Pioneers continued their winning streak at the final district meet of the season on April 18-21. Once again, they dominated the competition, amassing 960 points to Molalla's 680.

Oregon City’s drill team of Grzemkowski, Thomas, Zuber, Haltiner, Borden, and Aubrey Hubel remained undefeated, while the "A" Canadian Flag team, comprising Hamersly, Haltiner, Borden, and Arnold, also maintained its unbeaten record.

Now, with their sights set on the OHSET State Championships scheduled for May 9th-12th at the Deschutes County Expo in Redmond, OR, the Pioneers will hope to send seniors Hamersly and Haltiner off with a bang.