Fresno State Athletics
Leading the Way
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
December 3, 1998
Fresno, Calif. - As Fresno State leads the way towards gaining official sports status by the NCAA, who better to model your program after than a rider like senior Andrea Lee?
A role model inside the arena as well out, Lee gives head coach Megan McGee a rider she can point at to show the direction that the Fresno State equestrian team is heading. "Lee is an excellent student and a perfect role model for the younger riders that have joined the team this season," said McGee.
"She came into the program with a lot of riding experience and has been a pleasure to have on the team."
Lee got her start riding horse and competing in equestrian events while a member of 4-H growing-up in Fresno.
"I started riding horses when I was really little and it ended up being my 4-H leader who started taking me to horse shows and the lead line classes," Lee said. "From there I started showing in 4-H shows and open competitions."
And once Lee found that she could compete at the collegiate level she jumped at the opportunity.
"I was interested in joining the team when it was still a club sport my freshman year, but that didn't work out," Lee said. "But when it gained varsity status the next year I joined."
Now beginning her third season, Lee has been one of the team's more successful riders. She was one of eight riders for Fresno State to compete at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association's National Finals last season and was selected by McGee to represent the team in the 1998 Tournament of Roses Parade.
"Being in the IHSA Finals was a great experience," said Lee, who finished sixth in Advanced Western Horsemanship. "We had been competing at the regional level all year, so to go back to New York was fun because we had a good group of riders from Fresno State."
The desire and dedication that Lee brings into a horse show is duplicated when she enters the classroom. Lee is majoring in agricultural business with an interest in law.
"I'm the first person out of my family to go to college," Lee said. "My brother never went, but he told me that I had better go so it has been my goal to graduate."
Lee was recently honored for her hard work (which includes working 18 hours a week in a law office) by the Bulldog Foundation with the "Mr. Bulldog Scholarship." Lee has also been recognized as a Fresno State Scholar Athlete. - Michael Peterson
