Williams headed to final round of AQHA Horsemanship Challenge

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Fresno State senior Western rider Rachel Williams becomes the first Bulldog in program history to advance to the final round after competing in the preliminary rounds of the 2017 American Quarter Horse Association Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge during the Lucas Oil AQHA World Championship Show in Oklahoma City, OK on Saturday morning.

"I am ecstatic to have made it to the finals tomorrow night," Williams said. "I have watched girls from the team go every year. I had a goal to qualify for the challenge, and now to make it to the finals is a dream come true. This is truly a great way to celebrate my senior year as a Bulldog."

Williams was one of 16 collegiate equestrian riders chosen to compete in the 2017 AQHA Horsemanship Challenge and one of eight student-athletes representing the NCEA in the Challenge. The riders were chosen based off of their win-loss percentages by the NCEA selection committee.

Williams faced Josie Mootz of TCU in the first round of preliminaries. Each ride scored a 147 and the final decision came to a tiebreaker judge who awarded Williams a 75-74 victory in the first round.

The senior Bulldog advanced to face Taylor Overmeir of Ohio State University for the second round of preliminaries. Williams dominated in the arena with a 149-145 victory to qualify her for the final round of the 2017 AQHA Horsemanship Challenge.

"I am very proud of Rachel," said Fresno State head coach Eric Hubbard. "This is such a great event to be a part of and to be in the finals is huge for her."

Williams will be joined by Payton Anderson (Georgia), Abbi Demel (Baylor) and Kara Kaufmann (Auburn) in the final round. All four riders who advanced to the final round are student-athletes representing the NCEA.

The finals are slated to begin at 5 p.m. PT on Sunday in Oklahoma City, OK.

The free live stream, presented by Bank of America, of the finals will be available via the following link: https://www.aqha.com/shows/world-show/stream/norick-arena/

Coverage will also be live on the AQHA social media pages including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

For more information on the National Collegiate Equestrian Association, be sure to follow the NCEA Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Williams headed to final round of AQHA Horsemanship Challenge

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