Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Best In The West Invitational
Dogs Win Third Straight Best in the West Tournament
2/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
Feb. 15, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - Katie Nenneker said she and her teammates had great resolve to perform well on Sunday. After losing to No. 7 TCU on Saturday in a tough head-to-head match, the Bulldog senior captain continued to showcase her immeasurable leadership skills.
Nenneker was the 2008 Bulldog Award Winner for outstanding community service, academic achievements and athletic ability. She led the Bulldogs to a pair of dominating wins Sunday as Fresno State won its third consecutive Best in the West Invitational Tournament title.
Nenneker scored an 80 to earn MVP honors in Equitation over Fences against South Dakota State as the Dogs blanked the Jackrabbits 6-0 in combined English events.
Nenneker wasn't alone. Others contributed in a big way. Senior western rider Rebecca Flood also earned MVP honors in a win over South Dakota State, as did Adriane Smith, Keri Blackledge, Caitlin Marshall and Kimberly Hewson Budnik.
Fresno State outscored its two opponents 18-5 and the valuable team points came in handy.
The Bulldogs, who finished the tournament tied with No. 7 TCU with 2-1 records, outscored the Horned Frogs 23-21 in total team tournament points to win the tie-breaking procedure and earn the championship.
Fresno State is ranked No. 10 in the nation in the latest National Equestrian Coaches Poll.
The Dogs have won all three of the Best In the West Invitational tournaments. This unique four-team tournament format featured a round-robin format over two days. TCU finished with a 2-1 record and South Dakota State and Tennessee-Martin were third and fourth, respectively with records of 1-2. The Jackrabbits upset No. 7 TCU 6-5 on Saturday and Tennessee-Martin edged SDSU.
"It was a great team effort," said Nenneker, who performer her score on one of her favorite horses, Duncan. It was the second time in her career she'd drawn Duncan for a competition and she was also an MVP winner in that ride.
"It was great to see all of the girls pull together and perform like we know we can," she said. "We knew we could do it. We have been working really hard."
Equitation over Fences
Fresno State won five of six matches on the day, sweeping South Dakota State 3-0 and beating Tennessee-Martin 2-1.
Nenneker's 80 against the Jackrabbits set the standard. Junior Cambria Kissell also had two excellent rides with scores of 78 and 77, winning her matches against the Jackrabbits and Skyhawks.
Casey Jo McDonald won her match against SDSU and Lisa Wells added a strong score of 77 to defeat her UTM opponent.
Equitation on the Flat
The Bulldogs won all three matches against SDSU and two-of-three against the Skyhawks. Marshall posted a score of 64 to earn MVP honors and Nicole Roworth and freshman Kimbery Steinbuch also earned wins.
Senior captain Kelsey Bullock and Kimberly Hewson Budnik picked up wins against Tennessee-Martin. For Hewson Budnik, she earned an MVP honors for the second straight day.
Western Horsemanship
Flood and Smith each earned MVP honors against SDSU and UTM, respectively. Flood's 74 was a special ride for the senior captain.
"I was pleased," she said of her score on Jessie. "Jessie worked well today. He was really listening and we were in sync. I didn't feel nervous today. I usually am nervous but I wanted to go out and be confident and have a good ride for the team. It felt good."
Smith scored a 77 against UTM to beat Lauren Eichstadt and Allie Warkentin added a 71.5 to also earn a victory.
Sammie Jo Stone edge SDSU's Kaylee Mundwiler for a victory.
South Dakota State's Ashlie Centa had an excellent tournament, earning a win over No. 7 TCU, and won MVP honors against Tennessee-Martin. On Sunday, Centa added her third victory of the tournament over Fresno State's outstanding sophomore Adriane Smith.
Reining
The Bulldog reiners lost just one match on the day, sweeping all three matches against UTM. Blackledge had the highest score of the day with a 74 and earned a second win with a 71.5 against SDSU. Jill Tebbe tied for the highest score against the Jackrabbits with a 73, tying her match with Angie Gebhart.
Tebbe added a win against UTM and Haley Henderson scored a 68.5 to earn a win over the Skyhawks.
The Bulldogs have nearly two weeks off before their final home event of the season when they host South Carolina and Baylor.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" -The Bulldogs conclude the home schedule by hosting two Top10-ranked teams, South Carolina and Baylor, Feb. 28-March 1 at the Student Horse Center. Admission is free.
Players Mentioned
