Fresno State Athletics
Dogs Open the 2007-08 Season
10/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
Oct. 2, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State opens the season on October 6 with a dual match at WAC rival New Mexico State. The Bulldogs and Aggies are the only WAC schools that sponsor an Equestrian program and the two schools have built a healthy rivalry over past few years. Saturday's event begins at 8 a.m.
About the Aggies
New Mexico State is coached by Andrea Hanson, who is in her third season with the program but her first as head coach. The Aggies are coming off a sixth place finish at the 2007 Varsity Equestrian National Championships. Prior to that, the Aggies won 1995 and 1998 IHSA team national championships. They hold their home events at the New Mexico State Equestrian Center.
Against the Aggies
New Mexico State and Fresno State will be meeting for the first of two times this season. The Dogs and Aggies will do battle March 2 in Fresno, which has been designated as "Senior Day" for the Fresno State senior class. The Aggies took both matches last season, beating Fresno State 11-4 in Las Cruces and winning a close 11-9 dual in Fresno.
Schedule Check
Head coach Becky Malmo is very excited about the 2007-08 Bulldog Equestrian schedule. Not only will her team once again face some of the nation's premier programs, the Dogs will be competing on some high caliber horses at each event. The goal is to prepare her team for the 2008 Varsity Equestrian National Championships in Waco, Texas and hosted by Baylor. That said, Malmo is excited to compete at Baylor again, which should help prepare the Bulldog for that venue and get them more familiar with the horses they will likely see come championship time. "We are going back to a lot of schools where we have already been, which is a huge advantage for us. We have been on their horses before and we have kept good notes on the horses they have," Malmo said. "We have a friendly rivalry with the other teams, we have great relationships with both the coaches and the riders."
Malmo Moment
Quotes from head coach Becky Malmo, who is in her fourth year as Fresno State's head coach: About this week: "We are excited to open our season at New Mexico State. Seven of the 20 student-athletes we are traveling are freshmen. On the other hand, we have a solid core of returners, who have been successful at New Mexico State. Both English and western team members put in extra practice time over the weekend, so coupled with additional time planned in the saddle this week, we'll be as prepared as possible."
About Last Year
Both the English and Western teams were ranked in the nation's Top 12 last season, advancing to the Varsity Equestrian National Championships in Waco, Texas. The Bulldog English team finished seventh overall.
Captains Choice
For the first time in the Becky Malmo era, the Bulldog team selected the 2007-08 team captains. In previous years, the Fresno State coaching staff assigned captains for the team.This year, the English captains are Kirsten Sohns and Katie Nenneker and the Western captains will be Marybeth Brown and Rebecca Flood. "I was very pleased that these four outstanding young women will represent our program as team captains," said Malmo. "They have a great work ethic, attitude and leadership skills and it's nice that the rest of the team showed them how much they are respected by bestowing the captain responsibility."
Cambria Comes Back
Senior Cambria Kissell was one of the nation's hottest English riders at the end of the 2007 season and she had a dominating performance at the Varsity Equestrian National Championships, winning each of her final four matches. In addition, she was named the MVP of two events during the season. A native of Carlsbad, Calif., Kissell is expected to once again be on of Fresno State's top performers this season.
Dogs Appear on KMPH Great Day Show
The Fresno State Equestrian team was featured on the September 26 edition of the KMPH Great Day television program. Fresno State head coach Becky Malmo and her 2007-08 Equestrian team promoted thir sport on the popular live news and entertainment program. Reporter Brian Loftus talked with student-athletes and coaches and was given a lesson in riding, horsemanship and varsity intercollegiate Equestrian.
Summer Fun
Several Bulldogs spent the summer competing on various circuits. Here are some of their accomplishments.
• Keri Blackledge performed well at the AQYA Youth World Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, advancing to the finals.
• Sara Barnes qualified for the the AQHA Amateur World Championships and will compete in that event next month.
• Shellie Dalluge is currently leading the California State Paint Horse Association in Youth Horsemanship.
• Adrianne Smith won the youth division Utah Paint Horse Association Championship.
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