Spring season coming into full swing with 5 meets in the next 6 weeks
Will Hoogendyk IV, Campus Carrier sports editor
Stephen Slezak, Campus Carrier asst. sports editor
The 2025 spring season has officially kicked off for the Berry equestrian team with their first meet taking place at Auburn University this past weekend. The Vikings finished third at the meet, trailing Auburn by just six points.
Margaret Knight Ellington is the head coach for the Vikings and currently in her 27th year with the equestrian program. Ellington grew up riding and showing horses herself and had success doing so. It was during her own time in college when she first recognized a desire to coach. Since then, she has grown and developed her own riders to their own success. In her time at Berry, Ellington has led the Vikings to three Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) national championships along with other individual national championships.
For this spring, Ellington brings simple yet positive expectations for her riders.
“Focus on performing their best on the horse they draw,” Ellington said. “Keep a positive attitude and support each other. The winning will come if they are mentally focused and prepared.”
Mental preparation plays a key role in the training for a rider as the skills they learn must translate to any horse they compete with. Because teams don’t travel with their horses, the host schools must provide competitors with them. This adaptability is just one key component for riders in a season long pursuit of an IHSA championship.
the Vikings.
Coach Ellington also outlined the determination required from her riders to stay focused on one goal throughout a long season.
“Lots of hard work and dedication,” Ellington said. “[They] must have a positive outlook and desire. A little luck of the draw also doesn’t hurt.”
The season is quite time consuming for Vikings on the team as each rider has multiple practices throughout the week.
“[Riding] schedules are created based on each rider’s class and work schedule,” Ellington said. “Typically, there are two to four riders per hour based on discipline and skill level. All riders have two lessons that are the same day and time every week.”
Senior Fiona Albertson, who finished 4th in the Intermediate Fence competition at Auburn is one of just three seniors on the team, along with Brooke Backlund and Axa Stevens. As the team heads into their busiest stretch of the season which will see them competing in five out of the next six weekends, the work they have been putting in during the week will become more important than ever.
“This year the team has been working hard on our mentality and remaining confident and focused at meets,” Albertson said. “We have also been stepping up our lifts and making good progress outside of the barn thanks to our strength and conditioning coach.”
Albertson is optimistic about the improvements the team has made in the last year, and she is confident about their performance in the coming weeks.
“The team has improved a lot since last year,” Albertson said. “We have a really hardworking and talented class of freshmen this year. Our returning athletes have also made great progress since last year. They have shown a lot of dedication by doing additional practice and working hard over summer and winter break.”
This year’s team is compiled primarily of underclassmen with 15 out of 23 girls on the roster in the freshman or sophomore class. Notable underclassmen include freshmen Haley Wilson, who tied for Reserve High Point Rider at Auburn with a first-place finish in Intermediate Fence and second place in Intermediate Flat. Also this weekend, sophomore Elle Baird qualified for Regionals by finishing in second during the Novice Flat event.
In addition to Auburn University, the Vikings also have two other Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools on their itinerary this spring: Mississippi State and University of Georgia. Albertson enjoys the environment that these bigger schools provide for smaller Division III teams.
“Going to the SEC schools for meets is really fun for the team and always gives us a lot of bonding time on the road,” Albertson said. “They always have wonderful facilities and horses and lots of activities to do after meets.”
The Vikings are back in action this weekend when they travel to Mississippi State for an IHSA Western meet that will take place on Feb. 8 and 9. They look to continue their success and maintain their hold on top of the regional standings. Until then, the Vikings will continue to train at the Gunby Equine Center, where the team horses and riding equipment are kept.