NCEA Weekend Recap: Big Wins Go To Texas A&M, Auburn, Baylor, SD State
Feb. 9th- No. 4 Auburn Downs No. 1 Georgia with 12-6 Road WinBISHOP, Ga. – The No. 4 Auburn equestrian team put together an impressive showing on the road Friday, taking down No. 1 Georgia, 12-6. The victory moved the Tigers to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference.
“This team has been amazing in practice and on the road these past two weeks,” head coach Greg Williams said. “Coach Jessica Braswell and coach Mary Meneely are getting them ready to ride with any team right now and it shows with not only the outcome, but the fact that we were able to sweep the MOPs today. My favorite part is how the team is continuing to get stronger as a unit outside the arena as well. I love this team and am so happy they are riding home with a huge road win today!”
A trio of freshmen swept the Most Outstanding Performer honors with Taylor St. Jacques taking both the Equitation Over Fences and Equitation on the Flat awards. Deanna Green and Terri-June Granger picked up their fourth each of the season with Green’s coming in Horsemanship and Granger’s in Reining.
Auburn kicked off the contest with a strong showing, taking an 8-1 lead into intermission after Equitation Over Fences and Horsemanship.
The Tigers went 4-1 in Fences with St. Jacques leading the charge, scoring a team-best 85 points to top Ali Tritschler’s 84. Her MOP nod was the third-straight for the Glen Allen, Va., product. Juniors Hayley Iannotti and Alex Ladove each scored 82 points in their victories, while classmate Caitlin Boyle edged Sydney Hutchins, 76-75.
The Horsemanship corps went undefeated, finishing 4-0-1 against Georgia. Junior Lauren Diaz kicked off the event with a 72-66.5 victory, while freshman Taylor Searles picked up her second-straight W with 74.5 points. Redshirt junior Kelsey Jung earned her seventh win of the season, 74.5-74, while Green followed with 75 points for her seventh victory of the year. Sophomore Kara Kaufmann tied Madison Anger, 71.5-71.5.
In Equitation on the Flat, St. Jacques totaled a career-best 93 points to earn her second MOP of the year in the event. That point total was also a team high for the season. Iannotti also earned a win vs. the Bulldogs in Flat, topping Grace Bridges, 77-69.
Granger’s 74 points in her Reining win led all student-athletes and was a career best for the Dothan, Ala., native. Junior Betsy Brown earned her third-straight win in the event as she bested Kyndall Harper, 72-71. Senior Alexa Rivard picked up a tie with Annabeth Payne, 71.5-71.5.
Auburn returns to the Plains for a big SEC meet with No. 2 Texas A&M. The Tigers and the Aggies are slated to face off Saturday, Feb. 17, at 11 a.m. CT. The meet will be held at the Auburn University Equestrian Center.
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SDSU EQUESTRIAN DEFEATS NDSU, 14-2
The South Dakota State equestrian team defeated North Dakota State, 14-2 in an exhibition on Thursday at the DeHaan Equestrian Center.
“We had good rides across the board and it was exciting to be able to compete against a team we haven’t seen before,” head coach Ellie Wilkins said. “We still have things to work on before our trip to Texas, but we’re excited to what the rest of the weekend has in store.”
In Equitation over Fences, the Jacks won 3-1. Taylor Duerr captured the first point for State with an 83-81 decision over Kayla Young. Jessica Martinez topped Kali Carlson, 86-74. Jacey Chorlton upended Morgan Samuelson, 88-79 en route to garnering MOP honors.
State won Horsemanship, 3-1 to increase the lead to, 6-2. Emily Keiser defeated Madison Long, 72.5-71.5 and Nichole Zazula dropped Megan Haugen, 73-71.5. Sophomore Whitney Vesey captured her first MOP accolade with a 75-69 victory over Kalina Larsen.
SDSU swept NDSU in Equitation on the Flat. Claire Garduno garnered her first MOP honor with an 87-81 mark over Kayla Young. Matilyn Skinner topped Amy Frebault, 74-71, while Jessica Martinez upended Morgan Samuelson, 84-82. Senior Taylor Duerr captured the sweep with an 80-67 victory over Kali Carlson.
In Reining, the Jacks swept again. Catelyn Hall claimed MOP accolades with a 71.5-68.5 defeated against Taylor Zimprich. Mariah Wright defeated Sheridan Heid, 68-60.5 and Madison Sullivan topped Madison Long, 69.5-60.5. Senior Miranda Sullivan rounded out the sweep with a 69.
Feb. 10th- No. 2 Texas A&M Downs No. 8 South Carolina, 12-6
BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. – The No. 2 Texas A&M equestrian team dropped No. 8 South Carolina, 12-6, Saturday in the spring SEC opener at One Wood Farm.
“It’s always good to get a win against an SEC opponent, especially on their home field. It was a good showing from all of the girls. They are always a tough team, so it’s good to get a win, especially that big,” head Coach Tana McKay said. “I feel like we are finally on a roll right now after getting back from the break, so we are going to try to keep that going. We are going to get ready for Auburn next weekend. I feel like we are both coming off big wins, so we will spend time watching video and preparing because they are always tough competitors.”
The Aggies (8-3, 3-1 SEC) took an early 3-1 lead after the day’s first event, Horsemanship. Alex Albright led off with a 75.5-73 victory over Paige Stopperich, before Ashley Davidson defeated Madison Thiel, 75.5-74. Avery Ellis concluded the event by tallying a 75.5 to better Quinn Brandt’s 73.5 and was named MOP for her efforts.
Texas A&M extended its lead, 6-3, into the midway point after taking Equitation on the Flat, 3-2. The Aggies notched three-straight points with Brianna Peddicord topping Lauren Fabiano, 74-71, to lead the way. Rachael Hake followed suit with a 70-54 win over Louisa Brackett before Rebekah Chenelle closed the first half by knocking off Chloe Schmidt, 77-72.
The Maroon & White took a commanding 10-4 lead, winning Equitation over Fences, 4-1. Caroline Dance tallied her sixth victory of the season after outscoring Schmidt, 85-83. Desiderio edged out Brackett, 78-77, before Chenelle scored her second point of the day by defeating Fabiano, which earned her MOP honors. Hake clinched the win for the Aggies, scoring the final point of the event by downing Madison Sellman, 86-84.
In Reining, Madison Bohman earned the first point for Texas A&M, bettering Jordan Scott, 68.5-67, preceding Courtney Yohey dropping Caroline Gute, 66-58.5, to finish the meet.
The Aggies return to action Saturday, Feb. 17 as they travel to No. 4 Auburn. The meet will begin at 11:00 A.M. at the Auburn University Horse Center.
Baylor Equestrian Makes Late Push to Defeat TCU, 10-7
WACO, Texas – No. 7 Baylor equestrian (4-3, 2-1 Big 12) made a late run to defeat No. 6 TCU on Saturday afternoon at the Willis Family Equestrian Center, the first conference meet of the spring schedule for the Bears.
With fences and reining starting the day off, the Bears took a 5-4 lead into the break, falling, 2-3, in fences, but taking a strong 3-1 win in reining.
In fences, Shannon Hogue and Gabby Conte took their points for the Bears, tying each other for the meet-high score with a pair of 83’s.
In reining, Abbi Demel, Georgia Smith, and Carly Salter picked up their points, with Charlotte Green forcing one of three crucial ties in the meet to keep BU up 5-4 at the switch.
In the second half of the meet, flat and horsemanship closed out the day, ending within minutes of one another.
TCU came out strong, taking a 7-6 lead with six rides remaining after trading points with the Bears. BU would go on to win four of the remaining points, drawing on two rides to take home the win.
In horsemanship, a 2-2 draw with a tie kept the Bears in front, while a 3-1 edge on the flat put the win in the bag.
On the flat, Rachael Davis, Grace Thiel, and Madison Day all picked up points, while Brittney Mirkov tied to keep TCU out of a point.
Elizabeth Forney and Abbi Demel both snagged points in horsemanship, while Kaylee Mellott locked her opponent in a tie.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The win is the second-straight home victory over a ranked opponent at Baylor for first-year head coach Casie Maxwell.
- The Bears extend their regular season winning streak over the Horned Frogs to nine.
- The Bears remain perfect in home matches against TCU, improving to 7-0 all-time.
TOP QUOTES
“Today was another great win for our team. It’s nice to be into the spring semester with two big wins under our belt against very high caliber teams. I’m really proud of how our team pushed through the day, especially when there were quite a few very close moments. We’ll be tested on the road over the next few weeks, but this has definitely helped get our confidence back up where it should be.” – Baylor head coach Casie Maxwell
STAT OF THE DAY 3 – the number of tied rides in the meet, making it two-straight competitions where ties matched or exceeded the score differential, including Saturday’s win over TCU (10-7) and the Feb. 2 win over Auburn (9-8) where there were also three draw scores
WHAT’S NEXT
The Bears hit the road for the next three meets, travelling to the defending national champions, Texas A&M, on Feb. 24 at 11 a.m., before trekking to Delaware to compete in Delaware State’s tournament versus South Carolina and DSU.
Gates Garners MOP in Defeat Over Delaware State
SDSU improves to 3-3 on the season, while DSU falls to 0-7.
“Overall, it was a great and exciting meet coming down to the last ride,” head coach Ellie Wilkins said. “We definitely had to fight for wins in every event. There are mistakes we need to fix before heading to Texas, but it was a great way to start the spring season.”
In Equitation on the Flat, the Jacks won 3-1. Taylor Duerr captured the first point with an 83-78 decision over Emily Nelson. Jacey Chorlton topped Hayley Anderson, 86-74, while Claire Garduno defeated Molly Gara, 85-78.
Jordan Gates garnered MOP honors with a 75.5-74 victory in Horsemanship. Nichole Zazula scored a career-high 74.5 for a win over Shelbe Jarrett’s 74. Senior Mariah Wright upended Cheyenne Adams, 73-69 to bring the overall score to 6-2.
The Jacks and the Hornets split Equitation over Fences, 2-2. Taylor Duerr and Jessica Martinez won their points with scores of 86 and 80, respectively.
In Reining, Mariah Wright claimed the lone point for the Jacks with a 67.5-67 win over Angelina Watts.
Up Next
The Jacks travel to Texas Feb. 22-24 for meets at TCU, SMU and against UT-Martin.
