Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
SMU
'Dogs Finish 2-1 in Willis Invitational
9/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
By Jillian Bertolucci
jillbertolucci@gmail.com
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif.--The Fresno State equestrian team went 2-1 this weekend at the Willis Invitation in Waco, Texas, beating No. 10 Southern Methodist University and University of Tennessee-Martin and falling to No. 6 Baylor.
The team began the competition on Friday with a win against SMU, 7-6. The `Dogs beat the Mustangs in equitation on the flat, 2-1. Senior newcomer Randi Pomrehn took a point for Fresno State with a score of 70 against her opponent's 65. Pomrehn earned Most Outstanding Player for this ride. Senior Kara Spicer took another point for the `Dogs with a score of 60 over SMU rider's 58. Freshman Sierra Swaffar tied with her opponent with a score of 74. Freshman Kylina Chalack fell to her opponent, 70-47.
Over Fences, the `Dogs fell to SMU, 3-1. Swaffar earned the only point for Fresno State with a score of 76 over her opponent's score of 64. Junior Kelsey Fraser lost to her opponent, 83-66. Chalack's score of 66 was defeated by her opponent's score of 77. Pomrehn earned a 70, but was defeated with a score of 81.
"Sierra was very impressive," interim head coach Eric Hubbard said. "She had great rides and won a point for us. She added to our score and showed a lot of promise."
Fresno State earned the victory on the western side. In horsemanship, the `Dogs defeated the Mustangs, 3-1. Freshman Rachel Williams inched past her opponent, 70.5-70, earning her first collegiate point. Sophomore Taylor Brown took a point with her score of 72.5 over her opponent's score of 69.5. Brown was Most Outstanding Player for this ride. Junior Sydney Elliot earned the last point for the `Dogs when she defeated her opponent, 70-67.5. Freshman Taylor Dixon gave away the point, 70.5-68.
In Reining, the teams tied. Brown earned the only point for Fresno State in this category, 68-65.5. Brown earned yet another Most Outstanding Player award with this ride in the competition. Freshman Hailey Robison fell to her opponent, 66-65.5. Senior Brigid O'Leary tied with her opponent, 68-all, and so did senior Kirsten McKillop, 67.5-all.
Overall, Fresno State defeated SMU, 7-6.
"It came down to the western side and their strength against SMU," Hubbard said. "The horsemanship category is where we earned our points to win."
The team then competed against Baylor, riding the first half of the competition on Friday and finishing up Saturday morning.
On the flat, Baylor defeated the `Dogs, 3-1. Pomrehn earned the only point for Fresno State in this category with her score of 80 over her opponent's 79. Senior Amanda Postel lost the point, 86-69. Spicer lost another point, 87-56. Swaffar, too, fell to her opponent, 71-68.
Over fences, Baylor again defeated Fresno State, 3-1. Chalack earned the sole point with her score of 81 over her opponent's 73. Swaffar put up a strong ride with a score of 86, but was defeated by Baylor's 88. Freshman Paige Pastorino also rode strong, earning an 82, but was defeated by her opponent's 84. Pomrehn gave up a point, 81-79.
The teams tied in the western category. In horsemanship, Williams earned a point, 67-65.5. Brown defeated her opponent, 73.5-73. McKillop fell to her opponent, 74.5-70. Elliot put up a score of 73, but was defeated by her opponent's 73.5.
In reining, Brown earned yet another point with her score of 69 over her opponent's 67.5. McKillop took another point for the `Dogs with her score of 70.5 over her opponent's 70. O'Leary lost to her opponent, 68.5-67, and senior Ciara Kozlowski also fell to her opponent, 72-71.5.
Overall, Baylor defeated Fresno State, 10-6.
"We made way too many mistakes in the first half of the competition on Friday afternoon on Baylor's home turf," Hubbard said. "It was tough, and we knew it was going to be tough going in. We just needed to eliminate those errors in order to win."
The `Dogs finished the tournament with a win against UTM.
On the flat, Fresno State fell to UTM, 2-1. Swaffar earned the only point in this category with a score of 76 over her opponent's 65. Pomrehn tied with her opponent, 82-all. She earned her second Most Outstanding Player award for this ride. Sophomore newcomer Genna Fogelberg fell to her opponent, 74-66, and Chalack lost to her opponent, 74-65.
Over fences, UTM defeated the Dogs, 3-1. Pastorino earned the only point, 75-68. Chalack fell to her opponent, 80-73. Senior newcomer Gianna Armanino was defeated, 81-75. Swaffar also lost the point, 78-65.
The `Dogs dominated on the western side. In horsemanship, Fresno State won, 3-1. Senior Linne Beason earned a point with a score of 68.5 over her opponent's score of 64. McKillop defeated her opponent, 70-65.5. Dixon inched past her opponent, 69.5-69. Sophomore Maddy Robinson gave up the only point on the western side, 73-70.
Fresno State shutout UTM in reining, 3-0. Brown earned a point, 69-67.5. She went undefeated throughout the tournament. McKillop earned Most Outstanding Player for her ride, earning a 69. Her opponent was disqualified. Robison also took a point, 72-70.5. Kozlowski also earned a point, 70.5-69.5.
"Taylor continued her winning ways as an All-American," Hubbard said. "It was really impressive."
The `Dogs beat UTM, 8-6.
Baylor grabbed the title of overall winner, and the `Dogs earned second place. SMU went 1-2, and UTM went 0-3.
"Overall, I thought the team looked good," Hubbard said. "We have to go home and fix a few mistakes we made to eliminate those as we head into our next competition," Hubbard said. "The hunt seat team is going work to get some things ironed out. They need to step it up. The western team is on a very good path, and they will be continuing to build and strengthen."
The `Dogs head to New Mexico on Oct. 17-18 to take on New Mexico State and have a rematch against UTM.
"We are traveling again, so we have to be on top of our game," Hubbard said. "The team needs to set a good pace especially with as many newcomers as we have on our team."
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