Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Fresno State, Miami of Ohio, SDSU, Baylor
'Dogs Take Second At Willis Invitational
10/1/2011 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
Oct. 1, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - After the Bulldogs defeated South Dakota State in Round Two 9-6, Fresno State fell short to Baylor in Round Three 10-6 to conclude the tournament with the 'Dogs earning a second place finish.
"I am very proud of the performance the team put in today," said co-head coach Julia Scrivani. "They rode the horse they sat on thoughtfully while using their skill and the judge appreciated their performances. The team did a wonderful job working together to gain this win."
Fresno State drew South Dakota State for Round Two which started Friday afternoon and was concluded Saturday morning.
Senior Kimberly Hewson Budnik lead the Bulldogs through Round Two earning two MVP honors, one in Equitation on the Flat with an 84 and the second in Equitation over Fences with a score of 82.
Junior Tara Polkalba also earned a win in Equitation on the Flat with a high score of 82.
Fresno State swept SDSU in Equitation over Fences 4-0. Along with Hewson Budnik's point, sophomore Amanda Postel (70), senior Holly Elsbernd (81) and junior Chelsie Stone (73) all earned a point for the 'Dogs giving them a 6-2 lead after the Hunter Seat competition.
In the Western Seat competition, Lauren Crivelli (77) and Sammie Jo Stone (75) each earned a point for the Bulldogs in Horsemanship with some great riding performances.
Sonya Koch was the lone Bulldog to earn a point in Reining against South Dakota State with a score of 68. This wrapped up Round Two for the Bulldogs giving them a 2-0 record heading into the third and final round against Baylor.
Round Three started with Equitation on the Flat where Kimberly Hewson Budnik received her fourth MVP honor of the tournament. With great consistency throughout the weekend averaging a score of 81, Hewson Budnik earned a Round Three-high score of 86 recording the only point for the 'Dogs on the Flat.
In Equitation over Fences sophomore Hillary West (78), who recorded her second win of the touranment, senior Holly Elsbernd (81) and senior Hewson Budnik (84) each earned a point for Fresno State giving the Bulldogs a 3-1 victory in Fences.
Elsbernd had a great weekend winning all three of her points in Equitation over Fences against Miami of Ohio, South Dakota State and Baylor averaging an impressive score of 81.5.
"Hunt Seat tied Baylor and that is extremely exciting," said co-head caoch Julia Scrivani. "We have had a difficult beginning to our season and this was a great win to reaffirm the team's talent."
To start the Western Seat competition of Round Three against Baylor, Lauren Crivelli earned her fourth win of the weekend with a high score of 77 and scored the only point for Fresno State in Horsemanship. Despite losing her point, Kirsten McKillop earned an MVP honor for her performance in Horsemanship.
In the final event of Round Three against Baylor, Freshman Ciara Kozlowski earned her second win of the weekend with a high score of 73.5 in Reining.
"Today was another rigorous day of competition for the western team," said co-head coach Stephanie Reeves. "We posted some great scores and took another MVP, but it was not enough to hold off either South Dakota State or Baylor on the western side. While we have had a rough start to the season we are looking forward to heading home for a home event."
This concludes a long weekend in Texas. The Bulldogs will return home to take on New Mexico State on Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Fresno State Student Horse Center.
Final Scores - South Dakota State University (Round Two)
Equitation on the Flat
Tara Polkalba (82) defeated Victoria Pecak (75)
Megan Violand (77) defeated Lanie Madrazo (67)
Kimberly Hewson Budnik (84)* defeated Lauren Kerr (72)
Marisa Mohn (74) tied Megan Schiffman (74)
Equitation over Fences
Amanda Postel (70) defeated Santana Wright (65)
Holly Elsbernd (81) defeated Meredith Sauer (78)
Chelsie Stone (73) defeated Megan Violand (64)
Kimberly Hewson Budnik (82)* defeated Jenna Boscardin (63)
Horsemanship
Lauren Crivelli (77) defeated Amy Mandelke (59.5)
Maggie Holzworth (74) defeated Ciara Kozlowski (71.5)
Sammie Jo Stone (75) defeated Shelby Webb (71)
Kelsey Champagne (70.5) defeated Kirsten McKillop (67.5)*
Reining
Jana Bazler (71) defeated Sydney Coletti (70)
Helen Lauth (74.5) defeated Ciara Kozlowski (71.5)
Sonya Koch (68) defeated Lauren Kostello (67.5)
Maggie Holzworth (75)* defeated Lauren Crivelli (71.5)
Final Scores - Baylor (Round Three)
Equitation on the Flat
Tara Funk (75) defeated Lisa Beach (72)
Kimberly Hewson Budnik (86)* defeated Kim Woodsum (80)
Lisa Goldman (79) defeated Tara Polkalba (77)
Taylor Brown (73) defeated Kimberly Steinbuch (64)
Equitation over Fences
Hillary West (78) defeated Kate Riddle (70)
Lisa Goldman (80) defeated Nicole Roworth (76)
Holly Elsbernd (81) defeated Kara Fergussen (80)
Kimberly Hewson Budnik (84) defeated Taylor Brown (83)*
Horsemanship
Bryn Lindley (76)* defeated Sammie Jo Stone (75)
Meghan Murphy (76.5) defeated Kirsten McKillop (70.5)
Parris Rice (75.5) defeated Rio Haack (72.5)
Lauren Crivelli (77) defeated Chelsea Retmeir (75)
Reining
Amber Mooney (77)* defeated Lauren Crivelli (72.5)
Ciara Kozlowski (73.5) defeated Shelby Jackson (66)
Olivia Rogers (71.5) defeated Sydney Coletti (71)
Barbara Aitken (76.5) defeated Sonya Koch (67.5)
"We Are Your Team!" - The Fresno State Equestrian team returns home to compete at the Student Horse Center as they take on New Mexico State University on Saturday, Oct. 8.
Players Mentioned
