Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
No. 2 Seed University of Tennessee at Martin
Bulldogs set for UEC Championships this weekend
3/28/2018 9:03:00 AM | Equestrian
Bulldogs set for UEC Championships this weekend
FRESNO, Calif. -- The Fresno State equestrian team travels to Dallas, Tex. on Friday as the Bulldogs enter the first round of the United Equestrian Conference Championship. The competition will take place at the Dallas Equestrian Center on Fri., March 30 and Sat., March 31. Riding on Friday is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. PT.
Fresno State (3-9, 3-2 UEC) enters the championships at the No. 3 seed and will face No. 2- seeded UT-Martin (4-5, 3-2 UEC) on Friday. The winner of the match will face the winner between No. 1 SMU (8-5, 5-0 UEC) and No. 4 South Dakota State (4-5, 1-4 UEC). The consolation round will begin at 7 a.m. PT with the championship round set for approx. 9 a.m. PT.
"We are excited for the tournament," said head coach Eric Hubbard. "It will be a good matchup against UT-Martin. We have been working on a few hints to make big improvements to our scores to help us throughout the competition."
Last time against the Skyhawks
Fresno State last met with UT-Martin on Nov. 9, 2017 at the Masterson Farms Invitational in Martin, Tenn.
The then-No.5 Bulldogs were handed an 11-5 loss by the then-No. 10 Skyhawks in the competition. Junior Taeya Harle and senior Sierra Swaffar earned MOPs for their rides in the horsemanship and equitation on the flat, respectively.
Fresno State was evenly matched in equitation over fences event, but fell in the horsemanship, 3-1. UT-Martin had a 5-3 lead at the half. The Bulldogs and Skyhawks tied in the flat, but UT-Martin secured the win by sweeping Fresno State in the reining for an overall 11-5 victory.
The Bulldogs own an 8-4 all-time series advantage over the Skyhawks. Â
Last time at the UEC Championships
The Bulldogs traveled to Delaware last spring as the No. 1 seed in the 2017 United Equestrian Conference Championships. Fresno State had a 7-6 record overall and a 4-1 UEC mark going into the championships.
Fresno State faced the host team, No. 4 seeded Delaware State for the first round and fell 8-7. The Bulldogs and Hornets tied in both the hunt seat events, but the 'Dogs took a 2-1 lead in the horsemanship and fell in the reining 3-1 for a tight finish.
The Bulldogs moved on to the consolation bracket of the competition to face No. 3-seeded UT-Martin.
Fresno State earned third place in the championships with an 11-4 victory over UT-Martin. The Bulldogs bounced back after a 3-1 loss in the fences by sweeping the flat and horsemanship events and giving up one point in the reining.
Bulldogs as UEC Champions
Fresno State hosted the United Equestrian Conference Championships at the Student Horse Center in 2015. The Bulldogs earned the No.1 seed and faced No. 4-seeded South Dakota State in the opening round of the championships.
The Bulldogs defeated the Jackrabbits, 12-3 to move on to the championship round against No.2-seeded SMU who defeated No. 3-seeded New Mexico State University in the first round.
Fresno State defeated SMU, 12-4, to claim the 2015 title on its home turf.
Rachel Williams was awarded the United Equestrian Conference Horsemanship Rider of the Year award.
2017-18 Bulldog Monthly Honors
The Bulldogs swept the Western UEC Rider of the Month honors for the month of February. Senior Rachel Williams earned her honor in horsemanship while sophomore Paige Barton did so for reining.
Junior hunt seat rider Brooke Nelson earned the UEC Equitation on the Flat Rider of the Month honor for the month of November.
A trio of Bulldogs earned UEC Rider of the Month honors in September -- senior Sierra Swaffar in equitation on the flat, junior Taeya Harle in horsemanship and sophomore Paige Barton in reining. Barton was also named the NCEA Shorty's Reining Rider of the Month for September.
Â
2017-18 Bulldogs
Equitation over Fences (23-34-1)
Kylina Chalack- 6-4-1, 1 MOP
Sierra Swaffar- 5-7, 2 MOPs
Paige Pastorino- 3-9, 1 MOP
Natalie Wendt- 3-6, 1 MOP
Alexandra Dirickson- 5-4
Hailey Livingston- 0-1
Dani Schneider- 1-1
Erica Rosinski- 0-2
ÂEquitation on the Flat (25-28-5)
Paige Pastorino- 0-1
Dani Schneider- 1-1
Sierra Swaffar- 7-4-1, 2 MOP
Kylina Chalack- 3-5-2
Alexandra Dirickson- 5-6, 1 MOP
Natalie Wendt- 4-5-1, 1 MOP
Brooke Nelson- 5-5-1, 1 MOP
Alex Peltier- 0-1
ÂHorsemanship (22-29-7)
Katelyn Altenhofel- 4-3-2
Julia Kelly- 2-6-1
Rachel Williams- 4-7-1, 2 MOP
Taeya Harle- 7-3-2, 4 MOPs
Taylor Dixon- 3-8-1, 1 MOP
Alexis Miller- 2-2
ÂReining (23-33-2)
Taylor Dixon- 4-7
Kara Gustafson- 3-6, 1 MOP
Shea Gilson- 4-8
Allison Nordvall- 1-6-1
Paige Barton- 10-1-1, 3 MOPs
Annemarie Morias- 0-1
Alysa Frias- 0-2
Hailey Robison- 1-2
Â"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.
Follow us on:
Twitter: @Fresno StateEQ
Instagram: fresnostateeq
Facebook: FresnoStateAthletics
Snap Chat: FSAthletics
Â
Players Mentioned
