The Philomath High School equestrian team captured the Willamette District title and will send several riders to the state championships next month in Redmond.
Philomath finished first in the league with 1,650 points across three district meets, outpacing second-place Sweet Home (1,186) in the medium-school division. Cascade was the large-school division champion with 1,352 points. West Salem won the small-school division with 1,146. Central won the mini division with 647 points.
The season featured three district meets with each taking place at the Linn County Fairgrounds in Albany. Philomath won last weekend’s third and final meet with 580 points.
The Oregon High School Equestrian Teams state championships run May 6-10 at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond.
Senior Makayla Lillie of Philomath led the team’s qualifiers with state berths in eight events. Lillie’s top moment occurred in the figure 8 competition when she won in a Willamette district record time of 17.93 seconds. She was also first in western horsemanship, saddle seat equitation, dressage and in-hand trail, and second in reining, working rancher and barrels.
Senior McKenzie Rice of Kings Valley qualified in barrels and finished as second alternate in steer daubing. Senior Kylie Thorson of Philomath advances as part of the team’s drill squad.
Among underclassmen, Philomath’s Alyssa Lillie earned gold medals in driving, saddle seat equitation and in-hand trail, along with a bronze in working rancher. Toledo’s Maisy Smith took gold in pole bending and bronze in figure 8, qualifying as first alternate in barrels. Philomath’s Chloe Muravez qualified with a silver in breakaway roping and a bronze in individual flags, plus three alternate placements. Corvallis riders Selah Voltz and Cora Hathaway qualified with a silver (western horsemanship) and a bronze (dressage) for Voltz and a silver in dressage for Hathaway.
In team events, Philomath’s drill team took gold with seniors Thorson, Makayla Lillie and McKenzie Rice joining Alyssa Lillie, Muravez and Addison Liddell. A team versatility squad of Alyssa Lillie, Makayla Lillie, McKenzie Rice and Muravez also struck gold, while an in-hand obstacle relay team of the same four riders earned silver. A second in-hand obstacle relay team featuring Thorson, Voltz, Hathaway and Liddell qualified as third alternate, and the team versatility squad with those same four riders earned second-alternate status.
Although the team competes under the Philomath banner, its roster draws from four schools — Philomath, Corvallis, Toledo and Kings Valley Charter School. Laura Lillie serves as the head coach.
The Oregon High School Equestrian Teams league is open to boys and girls in grades 9-12.
Assistant coach Ashlee Rice said the final district meet brought a mix of celebration and the inevitable emotion that comes with a season winding down for seniors.
“What a wonderful weekend it was to watch these incredible two-legged and four-legged athletes do what they love,” Rice said. “Smiles, laughs, tears and excitement flooded the Philomath aisle and arena.”
Rice acknowledged the emotional weight of the meet for the team’s seniors, noting high expectations don’t always translate to the results athletes hope for.
“Nevertheless, it was a phenomenal weekend to be a part of,” she said. “We as a team are incredibly proud of every one of them.”
Willamette District Meet 3
April 17-19 at Linn County Fairgrounds, Albany
TEAM SCORING
Large Division — 1, Stayton 446; 2, Cascade 430; 3, Lebanon 199.
Medium Division — 1, Philomath 580; 2, Sweet Home 374; 3, West Albany 137.
Small Division — 1, West Salem 369; 2, Scio 335; 3, Sprague 180; 4, Corvallis 169; 5, Central Linn 60; 6, Newport 28.
Mini Division — 1, North Salem 198; 2, South Salem 188; 3, Central 178; 4, Toledo 72; 5, South Albany 70.
PHS RESULTS
Individual Events
Dressage: 1, Alyssa Lillie, 170.5; 8, Addison Liddell, 126.5.
In Hand Trail: 1, Alyssa Lillie, 97.
Reining: 2, Chloe Muravez, 63.5; 4, Makayla Lillie, 62.5.
Driving: 1, Alyssa Lillie, 76.
Saddle Seat Equitation: 1, Alyssa Lillie, 81.
Western Horsemanship: 1, Makayla Lillie, 89.5.
Working Rancher: 2, Alyssa Lillie, 97; 3, Makayla Lillie, 95.5; 4, Chloe Muravez, 88; 7, Addison Liddell, 59.5.
Barrels: 1, Makayla Lillie, 14.814; 7, McKenzie Rice, 15.654; 9, Mateyia Muce, 15.896; 19, Kylie Thorson, 17.765; 21, Addison Liddell, 17.936.
Keyhole: 12, Kylie Thorson, 9.723.
Figure 8: 1, Makayla Lillie, 17.93; 11, Kylie Thorson, 20.519; 16, Mateyia Muce, 21.258; 18, Addison Liddell, 21.571.
Pole Bending: 4, Mateyia Muce, 25.332; 9, Addison Liddell, 28.369; 17, Kylie Thorson, 30.082; 26, McKenzie Rice, 38.003.
Individual Flags: 4, Chloe Muravez, 10.211; 9, Kylie Thorson, 20.619.
Steer Daubing: 3, McKenzie Rice, 8.115.
Team Events
Working Pairs: 1, Philomath A (Alyssa Lillie, Makayla Lillie), 78.5; 6, Philomath B (McKenzie Rice, Chloe Muravez), 64.5.
In Hand Obstacle Relay: 2, Philomath A (Alyssa Lillie, McKenzie Rice, Makayla Lillie, Chloe Muravez), 130.5 / 4:57; 6, Philomath B (Thorson, Voltz, Hathaway, Liddell, Muce), 85 / 4:51.
Team Versatility: 4, Philomath A (Alyssa Lillie, McKenzie Rice, Makayla Lillie, Muravez), 29; 6, Philomath B (Thorson, Voltz, Hathaway, Liddell), 25.5.
Canadian Flag Race: 3, Philomath A (Alyssa Lillie, McKenzie Rice, Makayla Lillie, Muravez), 39.419.
Two Man Birangle: 2, Philomath A (McKenzie Rice, Makayla Lillie), 26.78; 6, Philomath B (Maisy Smith, Muravez), 28.98; 12, Philomath D (Liddell, Alyssa Lillie), 31.289; 23, Philomath C (Thorson, Muce), 40.778.
Freestyle 5+: 1, Philomath A (Thorson, Liddell, Alyssa Lillie, McKenzie Rice, Makayla Lillie, Muravez), 905.
Team Sorting: 4, Philomath A (Makayla Lillie, Muravez), 2 pens/18 cows/115.64 seconds; 8, Philomath B (Liddell, Alyssa Lillie), 2/15/111.16; 10, Philomath C (Thorson, McKenzie Rice), 2/14/111.00; 11, Philomath D (Maisy Smith, Muce), 2/12/114.93.
TEAM SCORING — SEASON TOTALS
Large Division — 1, Cascade 1,352; 2, Stayton 1,285; 3, Lebanon 545.
Medium Division — 1, Philomath 1,650; 2, Sweet Home 1,186; 3, West Albany 345.
Small Division — 1, West Salem 1,146; 2, Scio 1,021; 3, Sprague 546; 4, Corvallis 515; 5, Central Linn 237; 6, Newport 95.
Mini Division — 1, Central 647; 2, South Salem 559; 3, North Salem 486; 4, Toledo 234; 5, South Albany 203.