No. 10 Fresno State set to visit No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 3 SMU

Friday, October 26

College Station, TX

9 A.M. PT

Fresno State

No. 2 Texas A&M

No. 10 Fresno State set to visit No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 3 SMU

10/25/2018 12:15:00 PM | Equestrian

No. 10 Fresno State set to visit No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 3 SMU

By: Savannah Stoeckle / Communications Student Assistant

FRESNO, Calif. - The No. 10 Fresno State equestrian team travels to Texas on Friday and Saturday to go head-to-head with a pair of top-ranked opponents in No. 2 Texas A&M and No. 3 SMU.

The Bulldogs will open the weekend in College Station on Friday at 9:00 a.m. PT against TAMU, then travel to Dallas to face United Equestrian Conference foe SMU at 8:00 a.m. PT on Saturday. Live stats will be available through the link on the GoBulldogs.com equestrian schedule page and through the @FresnoStateEQ twitter account (Schedule Page).

Quick Look at the Bulldogs
Fresno State was in Waco, Texas from Sept. 28-29 for the Willis Invitational, hosted by Baylor, where the 'Dogs faced UT-Martin, Delaware State and then-No.7 Baylor. Fresno State opened the tournament with an 8-7 win over UT-Martin but dropped the final two matchups of the weekend.

Redshirt sophomore Nicole Campbell earned two Most Outstanding Player awards in Horsemanship at the Willis Invitational. Her first coming from a 76-74 victory over her UT-Martin opponent and the second in her 71-68.5 ride over Delaware State. Senior Alexandra Dirickson earned a MOP honor with a team-best 83-75 ride against Delaware State in Equitation Over Fences.

The Bulldogs earned three UEC Rider of the Week honors for their talents showcased at the Willis Invitational. Senior Brooke Nelson (Equitation Over Fences), junior Paige Barton (Reining) and redshirt sophomore Nicole Campbell (Horsemanship) earned the honors for the 'Dogs.

Fresno State swept the UEC Riders of the Month awards for September. The Bulldogs picked up the four accolades in their opening showing after only earning four in all of the 2017-18 season. Senior Alexandra Dirickson (Equitation on the Flat), Nelson (Equitation Over Fences), Barton (Reining) and Campbell (Horsemanship) were those honored with the titles.

Quick Look at the Aggies
Texas A&M won the 2018 NCEA Reining National Championship with a raw score tiebreaker over Auburn. The Aggies return three of the four riders of this championship Reining squad.

No. 2 Texas A&M is off to a 3-0 start on the 2018-19 season with wins over Oklahoma State, TCU and South Carolina.

The Aggies swept the Western SEC Rider of the Month awards for September and each rider received the honors for the first time in their careers. Sophomore Alex Albright earned the monthly honor in Horsemanship. As a freshman, Albright was named SEC Co-Freshman Horsemanship Rider of the Year and honored to the 2017-18 SEC Horsemanship All-Freshman team. Albright also was the 2017-18 Texas A&M Western Rookie of the Year.

Junior Dary Gardner earned the monthly honor in Reining.

Last Time vs. the Aggies
Fresno State faced Texas A&M two times in the 2017-18 season and the Aggies earned a 14-5 victory in the season opener on Sept. 22 in Fresno and a 12-6 victory on Feb. 3 in College Station.

The Bulldogs fell to the Aggies in the Reining event in the 2018 National Collegiate Equestrian Association Championships, 3-1. The lone Bulldog point came from Shea Gilson in a 134.5-134 ride over her Aggie opponent.

Texas A&M owns an 11-0 all-time advantage over Fresno State.

Quick Look at the Mustangs
The No. 3 Mustangs are off to a 3-0 start on the season after defeating Sweet Briar College in a hunt seat only competition, and South Carolina and Georgia in regular matchups.

SMU saw three UEC Riders of the Week after its contest against then-No. 5 Georgia in week three. Freshman Aubrey Alderman (Reining), senior Ashley Mauney (Horsemanship) and junior Vivian Yowan (Equitation on the Flat) earned the honors for the Mustangs.

Last Time vs. the Mustangs
The Bulldogs and Mustangs faced off one time in the regular season and one time in postseason play in the 2017-18 season. In the regular season, Fresno State dropped the contest after having a 5-3 lead going into the intermission but SMU fought back and took the Flat (3-1) and Reining (3-2) for a 9-8 final.

The teams competed again in the United Equestrian Conference Championship round where the 'Dogs fell 13-3 to earn a runner-up finish in the conference tournament. SMU was crowned the 2018 UEC Champion.

SMU saw three Ariat All-Americans at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season and all three return for the Mustangs in 2018-19. Holly Lansidel joins Bulldog Paige Barton on the Ariat NCEA All-America Reining First Team while Vivian Yowan and Nora Gray earned Ariat NCEA All-America Equitation Over Fences Honorable Mention.

The Mustangs hold a 9-6 all-time advantage over the 'Dogs.

2018-19 Bulldogs
Equitation Over Fences (6-6)
Hana Bieling: 2-1
Erica Rosinski: 1-1
Alexandra Dirickson: 2-1, 1 MOP
Cecily Hayes: 0-3
Aliva Hart: 0-1

Equitation on the Flat (4-8)
Brooke Nelson: 2-1
Hana Bieling: 0-1
Cecily Hayes: 0-2
Grace Countryman: 1-2
Alexandra Dirickson: 1-1
Erica Rosinski: 0-1

Reining (4-6-2)
Paige Barton: 2-1
Shea Gilson: 0-2-1
Lexee Padrick: 1-1-1
Kara Gustafson: 1-1
Addison Welman: 0-1

Horsemanship (4-7-1)
Taeya Harle: 1-1
Julia Kelly: 0-1
Kameron Thorn: 1-2
Nicole Campbell: 2-1, 2 MOP
Hannah Buijs: 0-1-1
Alexis Miller: 0-1

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" –The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

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