by Jason Turner, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — With a total of 23 entries from around the country, this year’s Marie Hill Writing Contest was among the best in recent memory. And without further ado, the USTA would like to congratulate the following winners:

In the 13-and-up category, for the second consecutive year, the winner is Kayla Brecht, of Capac, Mich. Kayla received the highest mark for her story “Finding the Way.” The second-place finisher in the group was Hannah Hewitt, with her entry “Barn 16.” Rounding out the group, in a tie for third place, was Sarah Schaff with “Zelica” and Christopher Kauffman with “Another Don Juan.”

In the 12 and under category Emily Budach of Janesville, Minn. won first prize for her story “Dreams Come True.” In second place was Olivia Burton with a story called “Golden Gal” and in third place, with “A Night at the Races,” was Maya Knepp.

All seven winners will receive a cash prize and USTA logo merchandise. The top finishers, Kayla and Emily, will also receive tickets to the Little Brown Jug in Delaware, Ohio.

This year’s Marie Hill entries were judged by founder and sponsor Marie Hill, member of the Communicator’s Corner and former Hoof Beats editor Dean Hoffman, and Youth Beats editor Jason Turner.