Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
South Carolina
Dogs Edged by National Champion South Carolina in Opener
10/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
Oct. 28, 2006
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FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State head equestrian coach Becky Malmo couldn't have been more proud of her team after Saturday's dual meet with South Carolina (3-1). In their first meet of the year, the Dogs battled the defending national champion Gamecocks to a 10-10 draw but lost in a tie-breaker. It was South Carolina's fourth and final match of the fall semester.
Fresno State and South Carolina each won 10 duals on the day, five each in Western and English disciplines. The outcome was determined on a tie-breaking scoring system that throws out the lowest score from each discipline and totaling the raw scores from each rider on the day. South Carolina scored 1312.5 points and the Bulldogs had 1295.5.
"I'm very happy with the way we rode today," said Malmo. "But I'm more than a little disappointed. To come that close against South Carolina, the gold standard of Varsity Equestrian, and coming up short is disappointing. We have some great performances and can really build on this. This was our first show of the year, so that speaks volumes about what potential this team has this year."
Three Bulldogs earned MVP honors by being the highest scoring riders in each event. Lindsay Blair scored a 79 in Equitation on the Flat, Kayla Schenck had a 71.5 in Reining and Heidi Smith scored a 75 in Western Horsemanship in the final ride of the day to earn MVP honors. Lindsay Pace of South Carolina was the MVP of Equitation over Fences with an 85.
The Dogs beat the Gamecocks 3-2 in equitation over Flat as Kelsey Bullock, Katie Nenneker and Lindsay Blair each gained wins over the their South Carolina opponents. Blair's score of 79 on the horse Reserve Dance was the highest given by the judges in the event.
Leading the way for the Bulldog Equitation over Fences team was senior captain Morgan McDonald, who scored an 82 on Pachelbel to defeat her opponent Kristen Terebesi (63) to give the Bulldogs their only victory in that event.
The Bulldog reigning team dominated in the Western discipline as Sara Barnes, Rose Hennig, Schenk and Smith won their matches.
The Bulldogs' season continues Nov. 4 with a meet at New Mexico State.
Players Mentioned
