Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Georgia/New Mexico State
Dogs Wrap-up Big Equestrian Weekend
2/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
Feb. 8, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - A point here or a point there and the Bulldogs come away from this weekend's double-dual home show with pair of victories. Instead, Fresno State's Equestrian squad dropped matches to defending national champion Georgia and No. 10 New Mexico State by scores for 9-7 in each match.
Fresno State and New Mexico State finished their match that began on Saturday, needed to conclude the Equitation over Fences event. The Aggies held a two-point lead heading into the final event and each team won two matches, giving the Aggies a 9-7 overall team victory.
Senior Katie Nenneker had the top score with an 86, earning a victory, as did Cambria Kissell, who had a 78. Jennifer Jory had a solid ride, but lost by one point to Meg Keeley, 70-69.
The Dogs then put all of their attention toward a battle with the nation's third-ranked team, Georgia.
The two teams split in fences, with Lisa Wells and Jory each recording wins. Kissell had an excellent ride and score of 78, but Georgia's Kacy Barnes posted an MVP score of 82 to defeat Kissell.
The Bulldogs got an MVP performance from freshman Kimberly Steinbuch in Equitation on the Flat, as she scored an 85.5.
Steinbuch is a walk-on newcomer to the program, who the Bulldog coaches expect to continue to have a bright future in the program.
Kimberly Hewson Budnik had one of her best scores of the season, an 83.5, but was edged by one-half point by Georgia's Emma Lipman, who scored an 84.
Bulldog captain Kelsey Bullock had a strong ride of 75.5, and Caitlin Marshall has performed well with a 71, but each lost close matches.
The Bulldogs rebounded to tie the match 6-6 by winning three of four matches in Western Horsemanship.
Led by senior captain Rebecca Flood, she and her teammates posted scores of 74.5 or better. Flood, Kelsii Fischer and MVP Adriane Smith, each had scores of 75. Fischer was the hard-luck loser, dropping her match to Lauren Love, who scored a 76.
"I was really excited," said Smith after winning her second MVP award of the season. "I could see she (horse Zena) was really nervous, so I just did the best I could do to calm her down and let her do her thing. It was a really fun ride."
Georgia took the match by winning three matches in reining. Jill Tebbe got Fresno State's lone win in that category, scoring a 74. Keri Blackledge lost her match by one-half a point, 75-74.5.
Fresno State and Georgia met earlier this season in Athens, Ga., with Georgia winning 12-8.
While losing two matches is not what coach Becky Malmo had in mind this weekend, she came away from the weekend with a positive feeling.
"While I'm disappointed with the outcomes of the two matches, I'm pleased with the performances of the young ladies," Malmo said. "We rode well and were within a point or two in each match. They were very close matches. Heading into reining, we were tied (6-6) with the defending national champions, so that's a good feeling."
Malmo was also pleased with the support from the community and university.
"Our facilities crew and our fabulous booster club were once again outstanding," she said. "They put a lot of work in this weekend and I couldn't be happier. We had some tough conditions to tend with, but I thought both the athletes and horses handled it all very well."
The Student Horse Center arena remained drenched and puddles were again evident after the Valley was hit with heavy rains on Thursday and Friday.
The Bulldogs will remain at home of the second straight week, hosting the annual Best in the West Invitational. South Dakota State, Tennessee-Martin and No. 7 TCU will join the Bulldogs next week at the Student Horse Center.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" -Fresno State will host the annual Best in the West Invitational Feb. 14-15 at the Student Horse Center. Admission is free.
Players Mentioned
