NCEA Weekend Recap- Georgia, Auburn, OSU, SMU, and TCU Score Wins

February 19, 2018 | Filed under: Club & Show News,Club and Show News | Posted by:

NCEA SCOREBOARD: FEB 18, 2018

No. 1 Georgia Tops No. 8 South Carolina, 12-7

BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. —- No. 1 Georgia equestrian defeated No. 8 South Carolina, 12-7, on Saturday afternoon at One Wood Farm.

Highlighting the meet was Bailey Anderson (Horsemanship) and Grace Bridges (Equitation on the Flat) who earned Most Outstanding Performance honors for their rides.

“It’s great to get a win on the road,” head coach Meghan Boenig said. “We put down some really strong rides that saw great scores. I am proud of our MOPs. We handled things better today (compared to last week against Auburn). We’ve made great progress as we head into the rest of the season. There is no taking the foot off the gas.”

Competition began with Reining where the Bulldogs (7-1, 4-1 SEC) rode to a 4-1 advantage over the Gamecocks (2-6, 0-5 SEC). Graysen Stroud was Georgia’s high scorer of the event, earning the first point of the day with a 75. Julia Spreng and Annabeth Payne each earned a point with scores of 70 and 73, respectively, before Kyndall Harper closed the event with a 72- 70.5 point for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs and Gamecocks split points in Equitation Over Fences. Maddy Darst led off with a team-high 82 to earn a point for Georgia. South Carolina took the next two points before Ali Tritschler rode to a tie against her opponent with a score of 78. In the anchor position, Addyson Cord rode to a 77 to edge Louisa Brackett’s 76.

Georgia led 6-3 at the half-way point of the meet.

Georgia took a 3-2 advantage in Horsemanship. After South Carolina took the first two points of the event, Stroud rode to a 76-70 win over Caroline Gute. Bailey Anderson followed with an MOP-earning ride that scored a 78.5, before Payton Anderson earned a 77 for her ride and a point for Georgia.

Competition concluded in Equitation on the Flat, claiming three more points. Maddy Darst started the event with an 85-74 win. Bridges followed suit, also scoring an 85 for her ride, and taking home MOP honors. Cord also won her point, 70-66.

Georgia returns to action on March 2 against SMU. Competition is slated to begin at 1 p.m. and the meet will serve as Senior Day.

No. 2 Auburn Powers Past No. 3 Texas A&M, 11-7

AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 2 Auburn equestrian team picked up its third-straight win over a Top 5 opponent, defeating Southeastern Conference rival and No. 3 Texas A&M, 11-7, Saturday afternoon at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. The win moved the Tigers to 6-3 overall and 3-2 in SEC competition.

“This group has been performing so well as a team,” head coach Greg Williams said. “They worked so hard to pull out this win and never quit. This was a good win for us because it once again solidified that we are good enough to ride with anybody and we’re ready to go again next weekend.”

It was a tight contest right to the end as Auburn held an 8-7 lead over TAMU with Reining remaining. Freshman Terri-June Granger and junior Blair McFarlin each picked up a tie to kick things off before freshman Deanna Green earned her first career win in the event, 66.5-65.5, to give the Tigers a 9-7 advantage.

The next match proved a big one in many respects as senior Alexa Rivard had to top Aggie Madison Bohman’s 72.5. After a solid ride on Nash, the Suwanee, Ga., product was awarded a 73 to secure the team win and also earn Most Outstanding Performer for the event.

In addition, the victory gave Rivard her 35th career win on the Plains, pushing her past Indy Roper’s 34 (2009-13) and into first place in the Auburn record book for career reining wins.

“Every time I have walked out of the locker room, I would see Indy’s name at the top with 34,” Rivard said. “I have looked up to her forever because she is an amazing ride and amazing leader. I wanted that spot so much and it feels really good to finally get there.”

“We’re so proud of Alexa and it’s fun to see this happen for her,” Williams added. “Indy Roper was an Auburn great both in the arena and out of the arena and Indy really helped Alexa become the great leader that she is in both areas of the team. This really is special.”

Junior Betsy Brown capped the discipline with a 71-70 victory over Ashton Dunkel, giving the team its 11th point. The win also gave Brown her team-leading sixth on the season.

The two rivals battled to a 5-5 tie at intermission after great rides in both Equitation on the Flat and Horsemanship.

The Flat crew put together a 4-1 performance as a team over the Aggies. Junior Ashton Alexander earned MOP honors with an 85-72 victory vs. Brianna Peddicord. Junior Caitlin Boyle picked up her team-leading ninth win in the event with 75 points, while classmate Hayley Iannotti got her seventh win of the season with a 59-50 victory. Freshman Taylor St. Jacques remained undefeated in Flat, topping Alex Desiderio, 74-69.

Junior Lauren Diaz picked up a victory for Auburn in Horsemanship for her sixth win of the season. She bested Sarah Orsak, 73-72. The Aggies took the event with a 4-1 overall mark.

In Equitation Over Fences, Auburn edged TAMU, 3-2, to help give the Reining corps the lead for the final event. Alexander secured the sweep in Hunt Seat MOPs, earning a meet-best 87 points in her win. St Jacques edged Desiderio once again with an 82-79 victory, while Boyle picked up 85 points for the W.

Auburn remains home for its final SEC contest of the regular season, taking on No. 8 South Carolina. The Tigers and the Gamecocks will face off at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Auburn University Equestrian Center.

Cowgirl Equestrian Sweeps SMU and Fresno State

FRESNO, CALIF. – The No. 5 Oklahoma State equestrian team swept both its meets Saturday over No. 4 SMU, 8-6, and Fresno State, ‪11-8, at the Student Horse Center.

Reining led the charge for the Cowgirls (5-3, 2-0) on Saturday, after they went a combined 7-2 in Friday’s meets. The Cowgirls fell behind at the halfway point in both meets, and each time the No. 2-ranked Reining team in the country came through in the clutch.

Against Fresno State (3-7), the two teams started off with Equitation Over Fences, and OSU took the event, 3-2. Abigail Brayman, Hannah Janson and Katie Schell earned points for the Cowgirls with each scoring a 76.

The two teams then moved on to Horsemanship, where the Cowgirls fell, 4-1. Kirsten Chamberland captured the lone point with her 74-67 win over Fresno State’s Taylor Dixon.

The Cowgirls went on to take Equitation on the Flat, 3-2, with some help from some familiar faces. Brayman and Janson earned their second wins of the meet, and senior Maggie Drysch also secured a point. Janson received her second MOP honors of the season for her 79-78 win over Kylina Chalack.

The Cowgirls took Reining, 4-1, to clinch their win against the Bulldogs. The Cowgirls got wins from Danielle Cohen, Ebba Lange, Hannah Mitchell and Julia Purus. Mitchell got the MOP honor for her 71.5-70.5 victory against Dixon. It marked the first MOP honor of the season for last year’s Reining Rider of the Year.

The Cowgirls now hold a 6-1 series lead over the Bulldogs, with this win being the first in California.

Over the course of Friday and Saturday, the Cowgirls defeated SMU to avenge this fall’s 11-9 loss in Dallas.

On Friday, the two teams competed in Horsemanship and Equitation on the Flat. The teams split Flat, 2-2. Carly Barrick and Brayman got the two points for the Cowgirls.

In Horsemanship, the Cowgirls lost, 2-1. Harley Huff took home the only point for the Cowgirls, and she also received MOP honors. Huff took down SMU’s Kara Vickery, 75-72. It was Huff’s team-leading fifth MOP honor of the season.

The Mustangs took a 4-3 lead heading into Saturday, but the Cowgirls would overcome that deficit.

The Cowgirls took Equitation Over Fences with a score of 2-1. Drysch and Katie Schell got points for the Cowgirls with Drysch receiving MOP honors for her 78-70 win over Brett Burlington. It was Drysch’s second MOP honor of the season.

Once again, Reining would go to the Cowgirls with the Reining team getting a decisive 3-1 victory to seal the deal. Lange, Mitchell and Purus got the wins to put them all ‪at 2-0 on the day. Purus received her fourth MOP honor of the season with a 72-68.5 victory over SMU’s Madison Steed.

The Cowgirls now hold a 9-3 series lead over the Mustangs and a 4-0 mark on neutral territory.

Up next, the Cowgirls will get back to Big 12 play when they travel to Springtown, Texas, to take on No. 7 TCU ‪on Feb. 24.

No. 4 SMU Downs Fresno State

FRESNO, Calif. (SMU) – The No. 4 SMU equestrian team dropped Fresno State, 9-8, Friday at the Student Horse Center.

“I am so excited for our western squad today! They rode amazing,” SMU head coach Carol Gwin said. “In addition the flat team came out firing. Coach McKenzie Lantz and coach Megan Southam did a great job having them prepared.”

After losing the first point in the reining discipline to go down 7-6, SMU (6-1, 3-0 UEC) reeled off three straight points to secure the victory. Madison Steed downed Hailey Robinson, 66.5-64, before Holly Lansidel edged Taylor Dixon, 66.5-64. Jill Pfisthner posted an MOP-winning 72 to beat Shea Gilson and secure the victory for SMU.

Trailing 5-3 at the halfway point, SMU rallied back in the second half by winning Equitation on the Flat, 3-1, to tie the score at 6-6. The Mustangs won three consecutive points with Haley Zimmerman leading the way with her 72-71 victory over Sierra Swaffar. Mary Elizabeth Cordia toppled Natalie Wendt, 73-66, before Nora Gray earned the MOP honor after bettering Brooke Nelson, 77-72. Kirsten Ostling scored a 70 but was matched by Kylina Chalack.

Earlier in the day, the Mustangs fell to the Bulldogs (3-6, 3-2 UEC), 3-2, in the day’s first event, Equitation over Fences. Brett Burlington tallied the first point for SMU after defeating Swaffar, 73-62. Vivian Yowan concluded the event with a 77-76 win over Paige Pastorino.

In Horsemanship, the Bulldogs extended their lead to 5-3 at the halfway point after a highly-contested event, 2-1. Kara Vickery won SMU’s only point, 73.5-73. Brett Burlington and Charlotte Selby each rode to ties. Burlington posted a personal-best 75.5 but was matched by Taeya Harle, before Selby recorded a 71.5 to draw with Julia Kelly.

SMU takes on No. 5 Oklahoma State Saturday to round out the Fresno Invitational. The meet is slated to begin at 12 p.m. CT/10 a.m. PT in the Student Horse Center.

#7 Frogs Victorious in Tennessee

MARTIN, Tenn. – No. 7 ranked TCU equestrian comes home with a 13-6 win against No. 10 UT-Martin, along with all four MOP accolades.

Haley Schoolfield, Director of Equestrian

“Our team rode strong all day. They have been working very hard all semester and today they saw the payoff. We have a quick turnaround to host two very good teams next week, so we are looking ahead in preparation for those.”

The Rundown

The Frogs (5-6) defeated the Skyhawks (3-4) in Martin, Tennessee, improving to 8-0 in the all-time series.

In Equitation over Fences, the Frogs went 2-3 against the Skyhawks, but the newcomers shone with an 85-point ride from Elizabeth McKim, earning her the MOP accolade, and an 82-point ride from Alex Beneson. McKim defeated UTM’s Savannah Methany by a margin of ten, Beneson took down Randi LaChance by a margin of 13.

In Horsemanship, the Frogs were on fire, sweeping UT-Martin with a 5-0 decision. Jamie Cook, Cydney Benes, Laska Anderson, Josie Mootz and Elizabeth Bohn all earned their points for TCU, with Anderson earning her third MOP accolade and collecting her ninth win of the season by defeating UTM’s Jade Bleskey 78-75. Benes and Cook earned themselves new high scores, with a 77.5 and a 77, respectively.

In Reining, the Frogs had Claire Dittrich and Josie Ferrante earning their points, with Ferrante picking up her second career MOP after taking down UTM’s Megan Aiosa, 74.5-66.5. It seemed Elena Hurd had won her point but ended up in a 70.5-70.5 draw with Hannah McDonald.

On the Flat, the Frogs nearly swept their second event of the meet, but finished with a 4-1 decision. Beneson, Emelie Burgess, Mady Fithian and Jayme Omand all earned their respective points. Burgess rode to a 10-point margin against Quinn Reed of UT-Martin with a 77-67 win, earning her second MOP of the season.

Notes