Fresno State Athletics
Equestrian trumps SDSU on senior day
3/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
By: Kimberly Fisher
kimfisher@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State equestrian team took the pen for its final home meet of the year against United Equestrian Conference (UEC) competitor South Dakota State on Saturday afternoon at the Student Horse Center.
"It was great to finish the regular season on a strong note," head coach Eric Hubbard said. "This year has had its ups and downs but it has helped us grow into the team we are today. We are taking those challenges and going to use them to our best ability to gain the skill sets to help us be successful at Nationals."
The No. 9 Bulldogs move to 4-7 and 4-2 in UEC play after capping the season with an 11-4 victory over SDSU. The group was coming off a 13-5 final decision in favor of fourth-ranked Baylor on Friday afternoon.
Prior to Saturday's meet, the Bulldog's four-person senior class consisting of Western riders Kayli Gobeli, Sydney Elliott and Morgan Foster along with Hunt Seat member Allie Tamouzian were honored during a pregame ceremony.
Fresno State swept the Most Outstanding Player accolades in all four events on Saturday. During her final home competition, Elliott had the best ride in Horsemanship (70.5-66) while teammate Alysa Frias rounded out the Western side with a 71-67 triumph. In Hunt Seat, Sierra Swaffer was named the Equitation on the Flat (77-69) MOP and Paige Pastorino was recognized for her performance Over Fences (75-55).
Fresno State was up 6-2 halfway through the event after outscoring the Jackrabbits 4-0 in Horsemanship and tying 2-2 in Equitation Over Fences.
Fresno State kept its momentum going during the second half of the day after capturing three wins on the Flat and finishing 2-2 in Reining.
Fresno State is 6-2 all-time while suffering its only two deficits on the road and have four wins on their home turf. In recent history, the `Dogs shutout South Dakota State 10-6 on Feb. 21, 2015 and came out on top, as the first seed during the UEC Championship after defeating both South Dakota State, 12-3, and SMU, 12-4.
Next up, Fresno State points towards the 2016 National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) National Championships to start on April 14, 2016.
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Players Mentioned
