IHSA Executive Director Peter Cashman, Nancy Peterson (seated) and Hollins Director of Riding Sherri West (behind Peterson), during the Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the 2024 IHSA National Championship. Photo by Chloe LaMonica
Gladys, Va.- May 4, 2024 - The Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) is pleased to announce the induction of Nancy Peterson into the IHSA Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place during the National Championship at Tryon International Equestrian Center, on Saturday, May 4. The IHSA Hall of Fame inducted its first members in 2020, and the second class included coaches, founders, riders and horses.
A legendary presence at Hollins University, Peterson joined the Virginia school’s equestrian program as a staff member in 1972, eventually becoming the director of riding; she retired in 2018 after 46 years.
Peterson, a native of Roanoke, Virginia, and a graduate of Roanoke College, made a considerable impact at Hollins as the IHSA team’s coach. Her teams made 12 different appearances at the IHSA national show; Hollins riders earned 19 IHSA individual national championships, two team national titles (1993 and 1998) and four Cacchione Cup wins. She was recognized by IHSA in 2007 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Peterson’s teams’ prowess was also regularly obvious in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), with Hollins winning the equestrian championship 21 times, (including for 15 straight years–1988-2002). ODAC awarded Peterson the Coach of the Year honor five times.
A prominent figure in Virginia’s hunter/jumper world, Peterson held leadership positions at many horse shows, associations and venues. She was recognized multiple times with sportsmanship awards among other accolades, and in 2004, the VHSA named her their Horseperson of the Year.
In 1999, Hollins University recognized Peterson with the Roberta A. Stewart Service Award for “long-term service, loyalty to the university and its principles and deep caring for students and colleagues.” She was also the recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Service Award and the 2011 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award. In 2019, the university inducted Peterson into their hall of fame.
Sherri West, from Hollins said, “As director of riding at Hollins, she and the incredible team of professionals she assembled set the gold standard for intercollegiate riding for more than 30 years. Simply put, Nancy Peterson is an IHSA icon.”
This 2024 IHSA honor will join a list of Peterson’s other deserving hall of fame inductions, including the VHSA Hall of Fame (2012), the Virginia Horse Center Hall of Fame (2008), the Roanoke Valley Horse Show Hall of Fame (2001) and the Southwest Virginia Hunter/Jumper Association Hall of Fame.
Nancy Peterson with Eddie Federwisch. All photos courtesy of Nancy Peterson