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US Athletes Look for Success at 2017 FEI World Vaulting Championships for Juniors

Lexington, Ky. – Artistry, athleticism, and talent will be on display this week when U.S. vaulting is showcased at the 2017 FEI World Vaulting Championships for Juniors. Running from August 2-5, 2017, in Ebreichsdor, Austria, the U.S. brings a contingent of 14 vaulters competing for titles in the Individual Female, Individual Male, Pas de Deux, and Squad Junior Championships. Chef d’Equipe Mary McCormick and Assistant Chef d’Equipe Jessica Garrod will guide the U.S. vaulters.

Individual Female Championship
Tessa Belardi (Aptos, Calif.) and Ana Schult (Longmont, Colo.) will make their first appearances at the junior world vaulting championships. They will be joined by Bodhi Hall (San Jose, Calif.), who competed in the 2015 junior world vaulting championships. She will vault on First NoBady, a 2004 PZHK gelding, and will be assisted by Lunger Emma Seely.

Recently, Belardi placed third in the Individual Female CVIJ2* competition at the Pacific Cup CVI in May and she will vault with Diva 506, a 2003 Oldenbug mare, and Lunger Carolyn Bland. Schult won the Individual Female CVIJ2* title at the Pacific Cup CVI. She will vault with Dresdn, a 2007 Hungarian Warmblood gelding and Lunger Elke Nousse.

Individual Male Championship
Luke Overton (Stanwood, Wash.) makes his return to the FEI World Vaulting Championships for Juniors after competing in 2015. Jace Brooks (Eagle Mountain, Utah), the 2016 Silver Individual Male USEF/AVA National Champion, will join Overton. Both competed in the Pacific Cup CVI and Canada Cup CVI in May where they placed first and second in both competitions, respectively. Overton and Brooks will vault with Dresdn and Lungers Stefanie Nussmuller and Devon Maitozo, respectively.

Pas de Deux Championship
Hall, a 2015 junior world vaulting pas de deux champion with Michelle Guo, will team up with Caroline Morse (Los Gatos, Calif.) for a chance at the 2017 title. The pair began vaulting together in the spring of 2016 where they have earned four top three finishes. Most recently they won the Pas de Deux CVIJ2* competition at the Canada Cup CVI. They will vault with First NoBady, a 2004 PZHK gelding, and Lunger Nousse.

Bridget Kiernan (San Mateo, Calif.) returns to the FEI World Vaulting Championships for Juniors following a third place finish with Sarah Dunn in 2015. She brings a new partner in Janie Salisbury (Atherton, Calif.). The pair placed first in Pas de Deux CVIJ2* competition at the Pacific Cup CVI. They will vault with Diva 506 and Lunger Bland.

Squad Championship
A talented squad has high hopes in the FEI Squad Championship. Miki Yang (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) and Audrey Kiernan (San Mateo, Calif.) are the most experienced vaulters in the squad, having represented the U.S. at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and the 2015 FEI World Vaulting Championships for Juniors. Their teammates, Belardi, Bridget Kiernan, Annika Malmstrom (Palo Alto, Calif.), and Lena Nicoletti (Sunnyvale, Calif.), are up for the challenge of their first world championship appearance. Earlier this year at the Pacific Cup CVI, the squad finished second in the CVIJ2* squad division. The squad will vault with Amontillado 9, a 2008 Holsteiner gelding, and Lunger Bland.

Watch the entire championship live on FEI TV.

Find out more about the 2017 FEI World Vaulting Championships for Juniors.

From the US Equestrian Communications Department

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