Auburn, South Carolina, Fresno, SMU, and OK State Score NCEA Wins
NCEA
No. 1 Tigers Too Much for No. 7 Georgia in 11-6 Road Win
BISHOP, Ga. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team earned a big win on the road, topping No. 7 Georgia at the UGA Equestrian Complex, 11-6, Friday afternoon. The win moves the Tigers to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Southeastern Conference.
“I really like the way this team sticks together and battles as one unit,” head coach Greg Williams said. “Even with mistakes here and there today, the team kept momentum up and finished strong. Road wins are hard to come by in this sport and we love coming back to the Plains with one.”
Three Tigers took home all four Most Outstanding Performer honors on the day. Sophomore Taylor St. Jacques swept the Hunter Seat awards, while classmate Deanna Green secured MOP in Horsemanship and senior Ali Fratessa earned her second on the season in Reining.
Auburn kicked off the day with a 5-4 edge at intermission following Equitation Over Fences and Reining.
St. Jacques picked up the first win of the day for the Tigers in Fences, scoring a season-high 90 on her MOP ride. Freshmen Emma Kurtz and McKayla Langmeier followed with wins for the Tigers. Kurtz scored a career-best 89 points to top Hayley Mairano’s 76. Langmeier capped the first half of her first year on the Plains undefeated, improving to 4-0 in the event with 87 points. Senior Caitlin Boyle picked up an 88-88 tie vs. her Bulldog opponent.
Auburn earned two victories in Reining, starting with a winning ride from Green. The Pilot Point, Texas, product edged Courtney Blumer, 73.5-73, in the first match up of the event. Fratessa led all student-athletes with 75 points in her MOP win, setting a season high. The win pushed the Wheelock, Texas, native to 4-1 on the year.
Action returned with Equitation on the Flat and the Tigers bested the Bulldogs, 2-1. Langmeier scored a career-best 87 points in her win to improve to 3-0 on the year. St. Jacques capped the event with 89 points and the victory over Madison Newman for another MOP. Boyle scored a 90 on her ride and tied Ali Tritschler, while classmate Hayley Iannotti’s 87 was also good for a tie against her opponent.
The Horsemanship corps put an exclamation on the day with a 4-1 victory vs. the Bulldogs. Senior Lauren Diaz bested Graysen Stroud, 75-73, to remain undefeated, improving to 5-0 overall. The Heath, Ohio, product also scored a 75 or better for the third time this season. Junior Kara Kaufmann finished with a season-high 75.5 to best her opponent’s 73.5.
Sophomore Taylor Searles and Green capped the day with victories starting with Searles. Her 75 topped Lila Owens’ 74.5 for her third win on the year. Green led all student-athletes with a 76, setting a season best on her MOP ride.
The Tigers continue with the second portion of the season when they travel to the West Coast, Feb. 1-2. The squad opens with an away meet at Fresno State before facing Delaware State in a neutral-site contest in Fresno.
#1 AUBURN 11, #7 GEORGIA 6
Equitation Over Fences
Maddy Darst (UGA) def. Ashton Alexander (AU), 88-63
Taylor St. Jacques (AU)** def. Ali Tritschler (UGA), 90-88
Emma Kurtz (AU) def. Hayley Mairano (UGA), 89-76
McKayla Langmeier (AU) def. Emma Mandarino (UGA), 87-84
Caitlin Boyle (AU) tied Sydney Hutchins (UGA), 88-88
Equitation on the Flat
Hayley Mairano (UGA) def. Ashton Alexander (AU), 80-77
Caitlin Boyle (AU) tied Ali Tritschler (UGA), 90-90
McKayla Langmeier (AU) def. Maddy Darst (UGA), 87-77
Hayley Iannotti (AU) tied Grace Bridges (UGA), 87-87
Taylor St. Jacques (AU)** def. Madison Newman (UGA), 89-87
Horsemanship
Lauren Diaz (AU) def. Graysen Stroud (UGA), 75-73
Kara Kaufmann (AU) def. Taylor Burgess (UGA), 75.5-73.5
Lexie Lane (UGA) def. Kelsey Jung (AU), 71.5-71
Taylor Searles (AU) def. Lila Owens (UGA), 75-74.5
Deanna Green (AU)** def. Madison Anger (UGA), 76-73.5
Reining
Deanna Green (AU) def. Courtney Blumer (UGA), 73.5-73
Julia Spreng (UGA) def. Betsy Brown (AU), 73.5-72.5
Ali Fratessa (AU)** def. Annabeth Payne (UGA), 75-73
Graysen Stroud (UGA) def. Blair McFarlin (AU), 72-70
Jordan Carpenter (UGA) def. Terri-June Granger (AU), 74-73.5
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Gamecocks Sweep Weekend on the Road; Top Two Ranked Opponents
FRESNO, Calif. – The No. 5 South Carolina equestrian team swept its tri-meet weekend in Fresno, topping No. 10 Fresno State, 10-7, and besting No. 4 Baylor in the raw score, 8-8, 1139.5-1114, at the Student Horse Center.
The Gamecocks claimed four MOP honors on the weekend. First up, Madison Brayman was named MOP for her ride in Equitation Over Fences opposite of Fresno State with the score of 83. In Equitation on the Flat, Madison Sellman was awarded the honor after scoring a 79 against the Bulldogs.
Carolina also picked up two MOPs against Baylor. Grady Lyman was honored in Equitation on the Flat with a high score of 72. In Reining, Jordan Scott took the honor with her winning score of 71.
Fresno State vs. South Carolina
In the Gamecocks’ first meet of the day on Friday, they started strong, claiming the Equitation Over Fences round, 4-1. Lyman earned her first-ever collegiate point with a, 74-70, win opposite of Erica Rosinski on Bravo. Brayman downed Cecily Hayes for an, 83-66, victory on Sawyer. Riding on EZ, Tyler Petrie claimed her sixth-straight fences win, topping Hana Beiling, 83-74. Taking the last point for Carolina, Lizzie van der Walde outscored Alex Dirickson by 20, 82-62, on Happy.
Competing in Horsemanship, South Carolina won two points and tied another. Madison Thiel started things off, edging by Hannah Buijs, 71-70, on Diesel. Quinn Brandt followed suit, winning, 68.5-65, on Bruno against Taeya Harle. Caroline Gute and Kameron Thorn earned the highest score of the event, tying at 75.5-75.5 on Zip.
“We had a solid performance against Fresno State on Friday,” head coach Boo Major said.” Our team continues to improve with each meet and they showed up again to compete this weekend against a good Fresno State team. Kudos to Eric Hubbard and his staff for putting on a great meet on Friday.”
With a, 6-3, lead after the break, the Gamecocks took three points in Equitation on the Flat. Winning her second point of the day, van der Walde outrode Grace Countrymann, 77-63, on Q. Mackenzie Suffy was victorious in a, 72-69, ride on Blue opposite of Brooke Nelson. Sellman closed out the event with an 11-point win, 79-68, over Beiling on Como.
Finishing with Reining, Carolina won a lone point and tied two others. Madison Thiel and Kara Gustafson knotted at 70.5-70.5 on CJ, while Gute and Allison Nordvall tied at 72.5-72.5 on Cooper. Claiming the Gamecocks’ only point, Scott earned a 75.5-0 win on KC over Lexee Padrick, clinching the, 10-7, victory for her team.
Baylor vs. South Carolina
The Gamecocks and Bears competed the first half of their meet on Friday evening, finishing the second half on Saturday morning.
Tying at 2-2 in Equitation on the Flat, Lyman edged by Rachel Davis, 72-71, on Tom. Scoring Carolina’s second point, Brayman downed Madison Day on Mac, 71-60.
South Carolina won just one point in Horsemanship opposite of BU. Gute’s 74.5 on Luke bested Kaylee Mellott’s 58, bringing the break score to, 5-3, Baylor.
“It was a real nail biter against Baylor,” Major stated. “I think going home Friday afternoon with only half a meet complete was helpful to our team because we were dragging a bit from the morning’s competition against Fresno State. Our team rode really well, but we knew we had to do a better job Saturday morning when we resumed the second half with fences and reining.”
After resting Friday night, the Gamecocks came ready for a battle on Saturday morning. Carolina won the Equitation Over Fences event, 3-1. Lyman outscored Shannon Hogue by 12 for a, 76-64, win on Tom. Brayman notched another point on the weekend, topping Catherine Moorhead, 77-75, on Indie. Rounding out the fences competition, Sellman outrode Day on Mac, 74-69.
In what continued to be a close meet, South Carolina and Baylor split the Reining portion, 2-2. Scott outlasted Georgia Smith, 71-70, for a point Gamecocks. Locked in a tight competition, Bridgett White gave the Gamecocks an 8-7 lead, downing Maggie Cincotta on Pep, 70.5-68.5. With just one ride left, Baylor’s Carly Salter topped Thiel, 72.5-71, on Noodle.
“Our team does not back down and kept fighting until the last point,” Major said. “We fought back from a two-point deficit on Friday to a tie in the end. When we went to raw scores none of us Gamecocks knew who won because we were too busy cheering on each other. It was a great feeling to learn we won the tiebreaker. This was a great way to end our fall season. I’m extremely proud of this team’s accomplishments and abilities to conquer the goals they are setting for themselves.”
Ending the meet at 8-8, the two programs went to the raw score to determine the winner. In the end, South Carolina scored more overall points than Baylor, defeating the Bears, 1139.5-1114.
Carolina resumes competition by hosting TCU on Saturday, February 9, at 10 a.m., at One Wood Farm in Blythewood.
No. 10 Fresno State captures victory over No. 4 Baylor
FRESNO, Calif. – The No. 10 Fresno State equestrian team downed the No. 4-ranked Baylor 10-8 on Saturday afternoon at the Student Horse Center. The Bulldogs won three of the four events in a meet that came down to the wire.
The last time the Bulldogs defeated the Bears was Feb. 17, 2017 with a 10-10 final that turned to a 1458-1456.5 raw score final in Fresno State’s favor. The last time Fresno State defeated Baylor by points was on Feb. 22, 2014 when the ‘Dogs topped the Bears 10-5 at the Student Horse Center.
“We needed this win today,” said head coach Eric Hubbard. “It has been a tough Fall for us. We are a young team that is full of talent that is still working out the kinks. I am very proud of our team and our MOPs from today. This is a great place to be as we head into our break.”
Fresno State split its weekend and finishes the fall slate with a 2-5 record.
How it Happened
The morning got started with Equitation Over Fences and Horsemanship. The ‘Dogs were off to a hot start with a 4-1 win in the Fences event. Fresno State won back-to-back points as junior Erica Rosinski outrode her opponent 76-73 and freshman Cecily Hayesdefeated her opponent 87-84 for the highest score of the event and her highest Fences ride of the season. Hayes earned the Fences MOP on Saturday.
Baylor earned the following point but Fresno State answered back with the finishing pair. Sophomore Hailey Livingston won the third point with a career-best 76-59 ride. Senior Alexandra Dirickson sealed the event with a 66-63 ride over Sarah Boston.
In the Horsemanship, Fresno State outscored Baylor 3-1 with high-scoring rides across the board. Redshirt sophomore Nicole Campbellpicked up the Bulldogs’ first point with a 73.5-71 ride over Abbi Demel. Campbell’s victory against the NCEA and Big 12 Horsemanship Rider of the Month earned her the MOP in the event for her second of the weekend and fourth of the season.
Taeya Harle earned a point for the ‘Dogs in her final Horsemanship ride of her career. The senior edged her Baylor opponent 73-72.5. The Bears earned their only point of the event with a 74-73 ride. Freshman Brooklyn Moch rode for a season-best 75.5 to top her opponent’s 71.5 in Fresno State’s third point. Sophomore Alexis Miller tied in her ride against Katie Davis.
At the intermission, Fresno State had a 7-2 lead.
Baylor swept the Equitation on the Flat, 5-0. With the Flat completed, the meet was tied at seven a piece and the final score would come down to the last few Reining rides.
The Bulldogs impressed with a 3-1 showing in the Reining with three personal-best scores. Freshman Lexee Padrick opened up with a 73.5 tie against Kaylynn DeBernard and Baylor followed with a point of their own. Senior Kara Gustafson rode for a career-best 76 to outscore Baylor’s Abbi Demel’s 75 to tie the meet at eight. Gustafson earned the MOP for her ride in Reining.
Junior Shea Gilson earned her second point of the weekend on a 73.5-72.5 ride which put Fresno State on top, 9-8.
Freshman Addison Wellman scored an event-high 76.5 and Baylor’s Carly Salter was unable to match that in her ride. Wellman’s Reining point put the ‘Dogs on top at the end of the meet.
UP NEXT: Fresno State has completed its fall competitions and is back in action on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, hosting Auburn and Delaware State at the Student Horse Center.
No. 2 SMU Defeats No. 6 TCU, 11-6, Remaining Perfect in Fall Season
DALLAS, Texas (SMU)—Closing out the fall home season in dramatic fashion, the No. 2 SMU Mustangs defeated the No. 6 TCU Horned Frogs 11-6 (1539.5-1507.5) on a chilly Saturday (Nov. 10) at the Dallas Equestrian Center.
Three Mustangs earned Most Outstanding Player awards, including Vivian Yowan in Equitation Over Fences, Mallory Vroegh in Horsemanship and Mary Elizabeth Cordia in Equitation on the Flat.
Since the program’s first competition with the Horned Frogs, which occurred during the 2006-07 season, the series history between the two DFW schools now stands at 9-7, in favor of SMU. Defending their home turf, the Mustangs have a record of 39-22 in all-time home meets/19-5 with head coach Carol Gwin at the helm.
To start the first half of the meet, Yowan scoring an 87 on Hamilton and Nora Gray with an 88 on Dillon earned points for SMU in Equitation Over Fences, while Devin Seek riding Rosie for an 86 tied with TCU opponent, Grace Upshaw, in the Mustangs’ 2-2 event finish.
In Horsemanship, Haylee Schoonover on Ray and Mallory Vroegh on Desi both with a score of 74, contributed points to the team. Michaela Dinger with a 71.5 on Kid tied with TCU adversary, Natalia DeVencenty to hold off the Horned Frogs.
After a highly contested, neck-and-neck first half, SMU pulled ahead in the second half to take home a decisive victory.
During Equitation on the Flat, SMU surged forth by dominating the event 4-0. Haley Zimmerman on Rosie with an 83 and Tali DeJong on Borris for an 82 earned points for SMU, while Yowan added a tie against TCU’s Janelle Henningsen with an 82 on Hamilton.
On the Flat, two Mustangs also scored in the 90’s. Cordia, who earned the highest score out of both opponent and SMU riders in any of the Mustangs’ meets this season, scored a 91 on Andrew, and team captain Gray on Punch notched a 90 to conquer her point.
The Horned Frogs answered back in Reining where TCU combined for two points. But ultimately, the Mustangs were able to surpass the Horned Frogs in the reining arena, 3-2.
Aubrey Alderman with a 69.5 on Stewie, Savannah Ostner scoring a 68.0 on Juice, and team captain Madison Steed for a 70.5 riding Mercedes, all earned points for SMU in Reining.
The Mustangs’ fall record stands at 5-0. Defending National Champion, No. 1 Auburn is the only other team in the NCEA with a perfect record. For their final meets of the fall, SMU travels to Dover, Delaware to face the No. 9 Delaware State Hornets (Nov. 16) and the UT-Martin Skyhawks (Nov. 17) next weekend.
Cowgirls Sweep MOP Honors, Dominate Buffs
STILLWATER – The No. 8 Oklahoma State equestrian team turned in a dominant victory over West Texas A&M, 17-3, Saturday at Totusek Arena.
The Cowgirls (2-4, 1-1) took a commanding lead right away, dominating both Equitation Over Fences and Horsemanship, and did not let up throughout the rest of the meet.
“It was a great day to be back here in Stillwater and have our loyal fans in the stands,” said OSU head coach Larry Sanchez. “The girls have been working very hard and we told them to go out there and try to have their best ride, and they stepped up and did just that.
The meet started with Equitation Over Fences as the Cowgirls swept the event and jumped out to a comfortable 5-0 lead.
One of the many OSU highlights was Abigail Brayman, who earned MOP honors by defeating Karis Blanckenship, 92-53. The 92 was a new career high for Brayman, topping her previous best of 90 last month at No. 1 Auburn. Hannah Janson, Katie Schell, Sydnie Ziegler and Cassidy Wilbourn also had strong showings for the Cowgirls.
Moving on to Horsemanship, the Cowgirls kept the Buffs scoreless as Sarah Miller, Natalie Alcornand Emma Verplank won their matchups to put OSU up 3-0 in the event. Harley Huff and Calley Huston supplied the last two points, with Huff receiving MOP honors for her 77-70 win against Sunnie Wynn.
OSU had a more competitive battle in Equitation on the Flat, edging out a 3-2 triumph. Ziegler, Janson and Molly Dunn earned the points for the Cowgirls, and Dunn came away with a strong score of 83, earning her MOP honors.
The meet concluded with Reining, where the Cowgirls were victorious by a 4-1 margin. Hannah Lovrien, Stephanie Helsen, Hunter De Jane and Hannah Mitchell all won for OSU; Mitchell won her matchup against Arienne Martinez and was awarded MOP honors.
“We have a little bit of a break but when we get back one thing we need to work on is making sure they are confident in their ride.” Sanchez said. “We have a lot of talent, and they need to be confident in that fact. And if they are, good things always happen.”
With Saturday’s meet, the Cowgirls concluded their fall season. OSU will return to action in February on the road against Big 12 Conference-foe Baylor.
