For the first time in its 23-year history, the Interscholastic Equestrian League honored two students with the Outstanding Senior Award. Both riders represent the same school.

La Reina High School seniors Kelsey Laity-D'Agostino and Samantha Harris both stood out with their achievements in horseback riding, scholastic achievement and community service.

More than 400 riders representing more than 60 schools from the Greater Los Angeles and Ventura County areas compete in the league's yearlong competition. The league offers four divisions, from novice to varsity, with various levels of difficulty for both hunter-jumpers and dressage riders.

La Reina was one of the league's founding schools.

"It's so nice to see this come full circle," said Joanna Dransfeldt McDonald, co-coach and team moderator. "La Reina has given countless hours and dedication to the league over the years, and now to have top honors given back to these two outstanding girls is fantastic."

Both riders have grade-point averages over 4.2, have taken numerous Advanced Placement courses and have earned substantial riding awards over the years.

Since her seventh-grade year at La Reina, Kelsey has won the IEL Dressage High Point Award for her respective division. She's competed in all four divisions, rounding out the last three years as the varsity dressage high-point rider.

Likewise, Samantha earned numerous points for La Reina for various divisions since the seventh grade, riding in the varsity division the last three years. In her sophomore year, she took home top honors as the varsity high-point rider, as well as the overall high-point rider for the league.

The Outstanding Senior Scholarship also commends riders for their high SAT and ACT scores, extracurricular activities and dedication to community service.

Outside of IEL, both young women have been recognized by and received awards from various organizations.

For Kelsey, the accolades came from the U.S. Pony Club and U.S. Dressage Association. Samantha was named the Red Cross Young Woman of the Year and was honored by Operation Interdependence and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.