NCEA Weekend Recap- TCU, Texas A&M, Auburn, Fresno State, Baylor, and DSU Score Wins
NCEA
NCEA SCOREBOARD: SEPTEMBER 30, 2018
TCU DOWNS DELAWARE STATE IN NCEA OPENER, 15-4
FORTH WORTH, Texas – The sixth-ranked TCU equestrian team took down Delaware State, 15-4, in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association opener. TCU claimed all four Most Outstanding Performer honors, three by freshmen, including two by Izzy Baxter as she made her collegiate debut.
The Rundown
The Frogs (1-0) won all four disciplines, sweeping the Hornets in Equitation on the Flat and in Reining. The Frogs took three points in both Horsemanship and Equitation over Fences while conceding two points in each discipline. Baxter picked up both Hunter Seat MOP awards on the day.
In Equitation over Fences, the Frogs won, 3-2, over Delaware State. Two Horned Frogs, both freshmen, earned their first career win on Thursday. Wynne Weatherly started strong for the Frogs with an 85-79 decision. Izzy Baxter also logged her first career win, 83-71, good enough for her first career MOP. Sophomore Alex Beneson closed out the discipline with a 76-73 victory on Elle.
In Reining, TCU swept the discipline, 4-0. Junior Claire Dittrich begun the day with a narrow 70.5-70 win over Delaware State’s Shelbe Jarrett on Peppy. Sophomore Anna Adams built off of her solid freshman campaign with a 72-67 win on Britney, good enough for the MOP nod, while juniors Carly Lombard and Elena Hurd grabbed the final two points for the Horned Frogs.
On the Flat, the Frogs swept the discipline. All Horned Frogs scored over an 80 in the discipline. Freshman Izzy Baxter took home her second MOP honor of the day with an 87-79 win on Flash. Wynne Weatherly (84), Janelle Henningsen (82), Alex Beneson (80), and Brooke Matson (80) also scored points for TCU on the Flat.
In Horsemanship, the Frogs finished the meet strong tallying three points while the Hornets won two. Cydney Benes begun the discipline with a win, earning a score of 69 on Jake. In her collegiate debut, Natalia DeVencenty won 76-73.5 over Kelsey McArthur on Gomer, good enough for MOP honors. Josie Mootz earned the last Horned Frog point with a 74-70 win on Cupid.
Coach’s Thoughts
“Overall, a really solid day. We still have some areas we can tighten up, but that is to be expected this early in the year. We know what we can work on between now and next week when we host Texas A&M. We had some really strong rides today from our upperclassmen and freshmen alike. This was Izzy’s first collegiate meet, so it was very special to see her double MOP. Hopefully it is the start of a really bright career. We know Texas A&M is a very strong team, but we are excited about the opportunity to continue to build on the foundation we laid this week.”
Notes
- Three freshmen Horned Frogs took home MOP honors in their collegiate debut.
- TCU improves to 11-0 against Delaware State.
- Henningsen posted her second highest career score of 82
- TCU scored over 80 in all five Flat rides.
Up Next
The Frogs will host Texas A&M next Friday, October 5, at Turning Point Ranch in Springtown, Texas.
NO. 3 TEXAS A&M TOPS NO. 4 OKLAHOMA STATE, 12-5
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 3 Texas A&M equestrian team defeated No. 4 Oklahoma State, 12-5, Friday in both team’s season opener at the Hildebrand Equine Complex.
“We’re used to playing Oklahoma State, they’ve always been a really tough team. The girls rode so well. They were, for the most part, mistake free and that’s what it’s all about,” head coach Tana McKay said. “Hats off to Oklahoma State. They rode well, but had a couple mistakes and it’s hard to recover from that. I’m very proud of our girls. They worked so well as a team. It’s a big undertaking to put on a competition. There’s so much going on behind the scenes and one of the things the team did so well was work together.”
The Aggies (1-0) jumped out to an early 3-1 lead after Equitation over Fences as Caroline Dance opened the meet by defeating Hannah Janson, 85-76, earning Most Outstanding Player (MOP) honors. The Aggies tallied back-to-back points as Grace Boston topped Cassidy Wilbourn, 75-73, and Rebekah Chenelle outscored Katie Schell, 81-68.
Texas A&M extended their lead to 6-2 after earning three points in Horsemanship. Sarah Orsak led the way with a score of 73.5, besting Maddie Bender’s 71.5. Alex Albright followed suit and defeated Paige Kemper, 74.5-71, notching MOP recognition. Kyra Bouma added a point for the Maroon & White with a 74.5-62.5 triumph over Natalie Alcorn.
The Aggies went on to take Equitation on the Flat, 3-2. After Oklahoma State (0-1) scored the first point in the event, Chenelle answered by defeating Abigail Brayman, 83-80. Dance earned her second MOP honor of the meet after recording an 89 against Schell’s 77. To conclude competition in the Hunter Seat arena, Rhian Murphy earned another point for the Aggies, outscoring Molly Dunn by eight points, 81-73.
In the final event, Reining, Darby Gardner tallied a point for the Aggies with a score of 73 and was named MOP for the first time in her career. Courtney Yohey narrowly defeated Alexa Beaty, 66-65.5, before Marissa Harrell scored the final point with a 69-67.5 win over Kristi Wiggins.
Texas A&M returns to action against TCU on Friday, Oct. 5. The meet is slated to begin at 10 a.m. at Turning Point Ranch in Springtown, Texas.
To learn more about Texas A&M equestrian, log on to 12thMan.com or follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter and Instagram.
NO. 1 AUBURN DOWNS NO. 9 SOUTH CAROLINA, 18-2
AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team opened its Southeastern Conference slate at home, downing No. 9 South Carolina, 18-2, at the Auburn University Equestrian Center Friday afternoon.
“We’re still doing the basics right and that’s all we want to do right now,” head coach Greg Williams said. “We’re a very talented group, but I want us to stay focused on competing as one team. We need to keep our sights on getting better every week and staying unified and I think this team is doing a great job at that.”
The Tigers (2-0, 1-0) opened up the meet with a dominating performance in both Horsemanship and Equitation on the Flat, sweeping the Gamecocks in both events.
The Horsemanship corps saw big scores throughout the day, starting with a Most Outstanding Performer ride from sophomore Deanna Green. She topped Alexa Thorpe, 75.5-72. Junior Kara Kaufmann followed with 70 points in her win, while senior Lauren Diaz bested Caroline Gute, 75-72.5.
Sophomore Taylor Searles totaled 75.5 points in her win over Quinn Brandt. Senior Kelsey Jung remained undefeated in the event, finishing with a 75-71 victory vs. Taylor Kellam.
Senior Hayley Iannotti kicked off Equitation on the Flat with 80 points to best her opponent. Classmate Caitlin Boyle followed with an MOP ride, finishing with a dominating 93-74 win. Fellow senior Ashton Alexander edged Madison Sellman, 76-73, for the Tigers.
A pair of freshmen in McKayla Langmeier and Emma Kurtz picked up big wins in the event for Auburn. Langmeier topped her opponent with an 84-70 win, while Kurtz earned her first career win with 78 points.
Following intermission, the Equitation Over Fences crew went 4-1 in the event. Boyle kept up her high scoring on the day with 90 points in her victory. Langmeier followed with the first MOP of her career, topping Louisa Brackett with an 88. Iannotti and Alexander capped the scoring with 88 and 89 points, respectively, in their victories.
The final event on the day was Reining and the Tigers topped the Gamecocks, 4-1. Senior Blair McFarlin earned her second-straight win with 70+ points, topping Addie Cromer, 70.5-69.5. Classmate Betsy Brown followed with a 68.5-67 win and Green concluded her day undefeated with 70 points in her victory. Senior Ali Fratessa earned MOP honors after scoring 71.5 points in her win.
After a week off, the No. 1 Tigers will host Ole Miss in an exhibition meet at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. Auburn and Ole Miss will go head-to-head at 3 p.m. CT on Oct. 12.
#1 AUBURN , #9 SOUTH CAROLINA
Equitation Over Fences
Caitlin Boyle (AU) def. Trinity Hammerschmidt (SC), 90-85
Tyler Petri (SC) def. Emma Kurtz (AU), 86-82
McKayla Langmeier (AU)* def. Louisa Brackett (SC), 88-55
Hayley Iannotti (AU) def. Madison Brayman (SC), 88-87
Ashton Alexander (AU) def. Madison Sellman (SC), 89-79
Equitation on the Flat
Hayley Iannotti (AU) def. Lizzie Van Der Walde (SC), 80-74
Caitlin Boyle (AU)* def. Louisa Brackett (SC), 93-74
Ashton Alexander (AU) def. Madison Sellman (SC), 76-73
McKayla Langmeier (AU) def. Trinity Hammerschmidt (SC), 84-70
Emma Kurtz (AU) def. Madison Brayman (SC), 78-54
Horsemanship
Deanna Green (AU)* def. Alexa Thorpe (SC), 75.5-72
Kara Kaufmann (AU) def. Madison Thiel (SC), 70-67
Lauren Diaz (AU) def. Caroline Gute (SC), 75-72.5
Taylor Searles (AU) def. Quinn Brandt (SC), 75.5-73.5
Kelsey Jung (AU) def. Taylor Kellam (SC), 75-71
Reining
Blair McFarlin (AU) def. Addie Cromer (SC), 70.5-69.5
Betsy Brown (AU) def. Madison Thiel (SC), 68.5-67
Bridgett White (SC) def. Terri-June Granger (AU), 69-68.5
Deanna Green (AU) def. Caroline Gute (SC), 70-68.5
Ali Fratessa (AU) def. Jordan Scott (SC), 71.5-71
For the latest on Auburn Equestrian, follow @AuburnEQ on Twitter and visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/AuburnEQ.
WILLIS INVITATIONAL, DAY 1
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS EARN WIN OVER UT MARTIN AT WILLIS INVITATIONAL
The No.8 Fresno State equestrian team kicked off the Willis Invitational with an 8-7 victory over UT-Martin on Friday morning but fell to Delaware State and No. 7 Baylor on Saturday.
WACO, Texas – The No.8 Fresno State equestrian team kicked off the Willis Invitational with an 8-7 victory over UT-Martin on Friday morning but fell to Delaware State and No. 7 Baylor on Saturday. The Bulldogs dropped their competition to Delaware State with a 9-6 final score and fell to No. 7 Baylor, 11-4.
Over the weekend, the ‘Dogs earned three Most Outstanding Player accolades. Redshirt sophomore Nicole Campbell earned the first in Horsemanship when she outscored her UT-Martin opponent, 76-74. Campbell picked up her second honor in a 71-68.5 Horsemanship ride over Delaware State. Senior Alexandra Dirickson picked up the third MOP honor for the ‘Dogs with a team-best 83-75 ride against Delaware State.
‘Dogs vs. UT-Martin
Fresno State and UT-Martin tied 2-2 in Equitation Over Fences to start the morning. Freshman Hana Bielingdefeated 2018 NCEA Equitation Over Fences Second-Team All-American Abbie Hopkins 73-70 in the first point for Fresno State. The second Bulldog point came from senior Alex Dirickson earning a 68-66 point over her opponent.
Fresno State pulled ahead in Reining with a 2-1 victory in the arena to hold a 4-3 advantage at the intermission. Junior Paige Barton outscored her opponent 68.5-64 and freshman Lexee Padrick edged her opponent 68.5-68 for the second Bulldog point. Junior Shea Gilson tied in her ride with a 61.
For the second half of events, Fresno State and UT-Martin faced off in Equitation on the Flat and Horsemanship.
UT-Martin topped Fresno State in Equitation on the Flat, 3-1. The lone Bulldog point came from senior Brooke Nelson who defeated Lindsay Anderson, 63-59.
The Bulldogs fought back with their best performance of the contest in Horsemanship with a 3-1 victory to seal the team win. Senior Taeya Harle, redshirt sophomore Nicole Campbell and freshman Kameron Thorneach earned their horsemanship points against UTM. Campbell shined in the arena with a team-best 76 to her opponent’s 74. Campbell’s ride was enough to earn her the Most Outstanding Player accolade in the Horsemanship.
NO. 7 BAYLOR DOMINATES DELAWARE STATE IN SEASON OPENER
WACO, Texas – No. 7 Baylor equestrian (1-0) dominated its season opener with a 14-2 victory over Delaware State (0-1) in its first match of the Willis Invitational Friday afternoon at the Willis Family Equestrian Center.
The tourney opened with fences and reining with BU taking a 7-1 lead at the break, going 3-1 in fences and 4-0 in reining.
BU clinched two MOP honors in the first half with Shannon Hogue’s 88 in fences and Carly Salter’s 71 in reining.
In the second half, the Bears held the Hornets 7-1, earning a 4-0 shutout in horsemanship with another 3-1 lead in the flat. Grace Thiel earned the MOP nod with an 81 in the flat alongside Abbi Demel, who rode to a 75 in horsemanship.
After clinching the win against DSU, BU turned its focus to the first half of its second match of the tournament against UT Martin (0-1).
The Bears held the Skyhawks scoreless in the flat followed by a steady 2-2 draw in reining, solidifying a 6-2 lead at the half.
BU will finish out its match with UT Martin with fences and horsemanship Saturday at 10 a.m. CT followed by a matchup with No. 8 Fresno State (1-0) at 2 p.m.
STAT OF THE MATCH
4 – the amount of MOP honors in the Bears’ season opener against Delaware State.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Bears return to action Saturday morning for the second half of competition against UT Martin (equitation over fences, reining) and then take on eighth-ranked Fresno State to close out the Willis Invitational. Admission is free at the Willis Family Equestrian Center.
WILLIS INVITATIONAL, DAY 2
NO. 7 BAYLOR SECURES 10TH-STRAIGHT WILLIS INVITATIONAL TITLE
WACO, Texas – No. 7 Baylor equestrian (3-0) captured the team title at the Willis Invitational for the 10th-straight year after two wins over UT Martin and No. 8 Fresno State Saturday at the Willis Family Equestrian Center.
BU closed out round two of the tournament with fences and horsemanship, bringing the overall score to 13-3 in a hard-fought win over UT Martin.
In fences, the Bears set the tone, riding to a 4-0 shutout with all scores no less than 81. Catherine Moorhead’s 90 earned MOP honors.
The horsemanship squad held their own, grinding out a 3-1 win in the event. Clara Johnson, Kaylee Mellott, and Kacie Scharf each rode to a 74.5 with Abbi Demel’s 76 sealing the deal for the Bears. Scharf’s efforts earned the MOP nod.
BU closed out the competition with Fresno State in round three, churning out an 11-4 win over the Bulldogs after dominating the flat, horsemanship and reining portions of the competition.
BU held Fresno State to 4-0 results in both flat and horsemanship, with Rachael Davis and Abbi Demel both earning MOP honors.
In fences, BU fell short, finishing 1-3 with Catherine Moorhead’s 83 clinching the lone point of the event for the Bears and her second MOP of the tournament.
In reining, the Bears pressed on and pocketed a 2-1 win in the event following a draw in one of the matchups. Sydney Sheckel earned MOP honors.
STAT OF THE MATCH
10 – the total number of Willis Invitational titles won in 10 seasons hosting the event.
TOP QUOTE
Head coach Casie Maxwell
On the weekend…
“It was definitely was a marathon. We knew it was going to be a long weekend, especially with a rain delay. You just deal with the things you can control. We tell our team that all the time with their rides. I think they did a great job coming together. If anything was going to test them it was going to be this in terms of their work ethic and stamina. They just really pushed through and had great endurance and positive energy and kept cheering to the very last ride. I think we were at our loudest moment in the last ride in the arena, and we had been here for 14 hours. It was an outstanding weekend. To start 3-0 and have 12 MOPs, we have a lot of confidence going on the road against Oklahoma State. This is a great confidence builder.”
WHAT’S NEXT
The Bears take a break from action before opening Big 12 action on the road against Oklahoma State Saturday, Oct. 13 in Stillwater, Okla.
DSU RIDERS SWEEP SATURDAY CONTESTS TO WRAP UP TEXAS TRIP
WACO, Texas – A victory over nationally-ranked Tennessee Martin highlighted Delaware State’s sweep of two opponents on the final day of the Hornets’ season opening Texas road swing on Saturday. DSU defeated Fresno State 9-6 and posted a 9-7 victory over No. 10 Tennessee Martin to earn a split in four Lone Star State contests to begin the 2018-19 season.
In the Fresno State competition, the Hornets posted a 5-2 victory in the Western rides, while the teams were tied 4-4 in the Hunt Seat contests.
Delaware State earned two Most Outstanding Performer awards in the Fresno State match. Amber Van Segbrook was MOP in Reining, topping all riders in the competition with a score of 70.5 aboard “Penny.” Grace Wilson and Shelbe Jarrett also posted Reining wins, while Blayne Bell and Kelsey McArthur were victorious in Horsemanship for the DSU Western team.
In the Hunt Seat competition, Sydney Wicklund was Most Outstanding Performer on the Flat, riding “Lista” to a score of 73 for the Hornets.
DSU’s Zoe Kirsch, Eva Epstein and Gabrielle Fournier were winners in Fences vs. Fresno State. Delaware State posted a convincing 6-2 Hunt Seat win to highlight the victory over Tennessee Martin. Wicklund led a 4-0 Hornet sweep in Fences with a stellar mark of 84 aboard “Petey” to earn MOP honors in the event. Kirsch, Epstein and Fournier also had winning performances in Fences for DSU vs. Tennessee Martin. In addition, Kirsch and Epstein earned Hunt Seat points for the Hornets with victories on the Flat.
DSU’s Sam Elliott was the star of the Horsemanship competition, earning the MOP award after riding “Sweetie” to a score of 73.5 in the contest. Jarrett also collected a point in Horsemanship, while Van Segbrook was a winner in Reining for the Hornet Western team vs. Tennessee Martin.
Delaware State’s equestrian riders will host their first competition of the 2018-19 season next Sunday (Oct. 7) vs. Sweet Briar. The contest is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Dovington Training Center in Felton, Del.
