Fresno State Athletics
Malmo Honors Equestrian Team
5/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
May 12, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - Another successful Bulldog equestrian season came to close.
Head coach Dr. Becky Malmo honored the team after a strong season that saw them ranked in the Top 10 in the nation all season and qualified for the Varsity Equestrian National Championship tournament.
Malmo honored seven seniors, including:
- Keri Blackledge
- Kaitlyn Coyes
- Brooke Cranston
- Jennifer Jory
- Brittany Pell
- Jessica Petzrick
- Lisa Wells
In addition to honoring the 2009-10 seniors, Malmo passed out awards for a variety of categories.
Two young Bulldogs were selected as most improved, Andrea Prise and Tara Polkabla.
Senior Jessica Petzrick won two awards, the "Work Horse" award and the All-Around award. It was the second straight year she won the Work Horse Award, given to the team member who performed above all others in the weight room, practices and events and horse care.
Sophomore Shawna McClurg won the Sportsmanship Award for the second straight year.
Western rider Christa Beezley was named the Rookie of Year. She won two MVP awards during the course of the season.
Lisa Wells, a senior captain, capped her brilliant career, winning the Award of Excellence, the top honor presented by the team. The award is given for combined excellence in athletic competition, leadership, academics and community service. Wells was twice selected to the VENC championships as an individual and is one of the top students on the team.
Malmo announced the 2010-11 captains: Kimberly Hewson Budnik, Caitlin Marshall, Madison Silver and Jillian Tebbe. It's the second straight year Tebbe will serve as a captain. Silver has been one of the Western's squad's top performers this season, winning three MVP awards on the year.
Malmo also praised the team for their hard work and dedication in the class room as 24 members of the squad had a 3.0 GPA or better with more than half of those, 13 in all, had a 3.5 GPA or higher.
"We are Your Team!" Follow gobulldogs.com for more information on the Bulldog equestrian team.
