Key Takeaways
- • Washington & Lee University equestrian alumnae Cass '23 and Hines '25 secured team championship honors at the 2026 Alumni Tournament of Champions, held June 13-14 at The Ridge at Riverview in Asbury, New Jersey.
- • The Alumni Tournament of Champions is an IHSA-style horse show featuring 15 championship titles across Hunt Seat and Western disciplines, designed to enable former collegiate riders to compete in a finals-like atmosphere while reconnecting with peers.
- • All horses are provided by the organizers, consistent with IHSA competition standards; riders select from fences classes (2'3" or 2'6" heights) and flat classes (regular or advanced with dropped stirrups).
- • The event, founded by former IHSA riders Lena Andrews Licata and Jamie Windle, annually attracts competitors from across the United States and offers sponsored prizes, perpetual trophies, and silver/logo items for champions.
Summary
The Alumni Tournament of Champions, held June 13-14, 2026 at The Ridge at Riverview in Asbury, New Jersey, crowned Washington & Lee University alumnae Cass '23 and Hines '25 as team champions in what has become an established annual celebration of collegiate equestrian alumni competition.
The event functions as an IHSA-sanctioned horse show offering 15 championship titles across multiple disciplines, including both Hunt Seat and Western classes. The competition structure permits current IHSA alumni to enter one fences class and one flat class, with fences options available at either 2'3" or 2'6" heights, and flat divisions ranging from standard to advanced (featuring dropped stirrups). The tournament accommodates reunion classes for former IHSA competitors no longer actively competing in the collegiate circuit, enabling broader participation across career stages.
Founded by former IHSA riders Lena Andrews Licata and Jamie Windle, the Alumni Tournament of Champions was designed to provide former collegiate riders with a finals-like competitive environment while facilitating reconnection with peers and continued engagement with equestrian sport. Consistent with IHSA traditions, all horses are provided by organizers, eliminating the barrier of private horse ownership for participants. The event distributes substantial sponsored prizes, awards perpetual trophies to annual champions, and provides silver or logo items as keepsakes for title holders.
The tournament operates under both ATOC (Alumni Tournament of Champions) and AEE (Alumni Equestrian Events) guidelines, with AEE providing frameworks for five additional alumni classes that can be offered at any qualifying horse show meeting specified standards. The organization actively cultivates sponsorship partnerships, offering complimentary prize list advertisements, social media promotion, website recognition, vendor opportunities, and goodie bag placement to corporate partners in the equine industry.
The event functions as an IHSA-sanctioned horse show offering 15 championship titles across multiple disciplines, including both Hunt Seat and Western classes. The competition structure permits current IHSA alumni to enter one fences class and one flat class, with fences options available at either 2'3" or 2'6" heights, and flat divisions ranging from standard to advanced (featuring dropped stirrups). The tournament accommodates reunion classes for former IHSA competitors no longer actively competing in the collegiate circuit, enabling broader participation across career stages.
Founded by former IHSA riders Lena Andrews Licata and Jamie Windle, the Alumni Tournament of Champions was designed to provide former collegiate riders with a finals-like competitive environment while facilitating reconnection with peers and continued engagement with equestrian sport. Consistent with IHSA traditions, all horses are provided by organizers, eliminating the barrier of private horse ownership for participants. The event distributes substantial sponsored prizes, awards perpetual trophies to annual champions, and provides silver or logo items as keepsakes for title holders.
The tournament operates under both ATOC (Alumni Tournament of Champions) and AEE (Alumni Equestrian Events) guidelines, with AEE providing frameworks for five additional alumni classes that can be offered at any qualifying horse show meeting specified standards. The organization actively cultivates sponsorship partnerships, offering complimentary prize list advertisements, social media promotion, website recognition, vendor opportunities, and goodie bag placement to corporate partners in the equine industry.
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