Fresno State Athletics
Dogs Head to VEC National Championships
4/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
April 17, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State will be taking a full contingent of riders to the 2007 Varsity Equestrian National Championship show hosted by Baylor University in Waco, Texas, April 18-20. The event will be held at the Heart O' Texas Fair Complex. Only the nation's top 12-ranked teams from each the English and western disciplines will compete. Fresno State is the No. 8 seed in English and will take on Tennessee-Martin in the first round. The winner of that match will face No. 1 ranked South Carolina. The Dogs tied South Carolina 10-10 in the opening show of the season. On the Western side, the Dogs are the No. 9 seed and will face host Baylor in the first round. If the Dogs defeat Baylor, they will face No. 1 Texas A&M in the second round.
About the Opponents
Fresno State's English opponent in the first round, Tennessee-Martin, competed in the Fresno State "Best of the West" show a little over a month ago. The Dogs edged UT-Martin in the six-team combined event by scoring 64 points to UT Martin's 46, but in head-to-head English competition, the two teams each won three matches, but UT-Martin scored a victory by winning the tie breaker. Morgan McDonald, Lindsay Blair and Noelle Dukes won their matches.
In the Western match, the Dogs will be facing Baylor for the first time this season. Fresno State's potential second round opponent, Texas A&M, beat the Dogs 13-6 in Fresno back on Feb. 18.
Here are the seedings for the VEC:
English
1. South Carolina
2. Oklahoma State
3. Georgia
4. Auburn
5. Texas A&M
6. Baylor
7. Kansas State
8. Fresno Statae
9. Tennessee-Martin
10. New Mexico State
11. Stephen F. Austin
12. SMU
Western
1. Texas A&M
2. Georgia
3. Kansas State
4. Auburn
5. New Mexico State
6. Oklahoma State
7. South Carolina
8. Baylor
9. Fresno State
10. TCU
11. Stephen F. Austin
12. South Dakota State
Who's In
Here the Bulldogs who will be competing in the 2007 Varsity Equestrian National Championships April 18-20 in Waco, Texas.
English
Equitation on the flat: Kirsten Sohns, Morgan McDonald, Lisa Wells, Lindsey Blair. Equitation over Fences: Morgan McDonald, Cambria Kissell, Jennifer Jory, Katie Nenneker.
Western
Horsemanship: Heidi Smith, Sarah Barnes, Rebecca Flood, Daniell Nielsen, Alt.-Marybeth Brown Reining: Heidi Smith, Sara Barnes, Kayla Schenck, Keri Blackledge.
Malmo Moment
Quotes from head coach Becky Malmo, who is in her third year as Fresno State's head coach: About this week: "We are peaking for the national championships. The young ladies have been working very hard and are really excited about competing at this show. We have some talented young ladies and I'm really excited to watch them perform."
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