Equestrian Fall Recap

FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State equestrian team got off to its best start in a season since the 2016-17 season. This fall, the Bulldogs rode steady to a 4-3 (2-1 Big 12) record with key wins against top-ranked teams.

The Bulldogs have secured wins against then-No. 2 Texas A&M, then-No. 3 Oklahoma State, then-No. 8 Baylor and unranked UC Davis to begin the season. Fresno State also participated in jumping seat only meets at Sweet Briar College and the University of Lynchburg where the 'Dogs picked up 6-4 and 6-2 wins, respectively. The jumping seat only meets do not count towards the overall team record, but they do count towards the individual event records and are taken into account when the National Collegiate Equestrian Association decides event rankings throughout the year.

Fresno State suffered a road loss at then-No. 7 South Carolina and a home loss to then-No. 7 TCU before notching a three-meet win streak. It's next loss came versus then-No. 2 Georgia in a close 10-9 dual.

Key victories
The Fresno State equestrian team defeated Texas A&M for the first time in a series that dates back to 2007. The 'Dogs came out with a 11-9 home win over the second-ranked Aggies on Oct. 5, 2019. Just 20 days later, the Bulldogs earned their first-ever Big 12 conference win as they dominated the third-ranked Oklahoma State 14-5 on Oct. 25, 2019. The win over the Cowgirls was the first under head coach Eric Hubbard, and first since Oct. 25, 2008.

Freshmen leading the way
Coach Hubbard announced the addition of nine freshmen to the 2019-20 team, and they have become a staple in the Bulldogs' draw throughout the season.

In the jumping seat, freshman Ana Bertozzi leads the way in the fences with a 5-4-0 record and a team-high three MOP honors. She has scored the highest fences ride of the season with an 86 against her Texas A&M opponent. Bertozzi also claimed the first-ever Big 12 monthly honor for Fresno State as she was named the Fences Rider of the Month in September. She also earned the NCEA Rider of the Month in September as the first 'Dog to earn the award in the event.

The western 'Dogs are led by freshmen Hannah Way (horsemanship) and Bailey Alexander (reining). Way has a 5-1-0 record through the fall slate and has rode in the second-most rides this season behind senior Nicole Campbell who has appeared in all seven. Way's highest score of the season was a 76 she scored at South Carolina. The freshman has not scored lower than a 73.5 this season.

Alexander has been a bright light in the successful reining squad as she is the lone undefeated Bulldog with a perfect 6-0-0 mark. She has earned three of the Bulldogs' five MOP honors in the reining this season and has scored the highest ride with a 75 at UC Davis. Alexander has earned back-to-back Big 12 Reining Rider of the Month honors in October and November to close out the fall slate. She was also named the NCEA Reining Rider of the Month in November.

Fresno State has seen its freshmen lead the way for the second consecutive year as Brooklyn Moch and Lexee Padrick earned United Equestrian Conference Freshman Rider of the Year honors at the completion of the 2018-19 season.

Young riders emerging
The 2019-20 season was expected to be a season of growth for the young Bulldog team that has 22 underclassmen on a 36-rider roster, but things seem to be working in its favor through the growing pains. The young Bulldogs have helped an excelling Fresno State team to wins over ranked opponents and its best start to a season in three years.

A breakdown of the competition riders this year:

Horsemanship - Nine competitors this season (seven are underclassmen)
Reining - Seven competitors this season (five are underclassmen)
Flat - Seven competitors this season (five are underclassmen)
Fences - Seven competitors this season (five are underclassmen)

A year of firsts
Fresno State made its transition to the Big 12 Conference in May 2019. The Bulldogs are currently tied for first place in the conference standings with a 2-1 Big 12 record throughout the fall. Fresno State earned its first win as a part of the Big 12 with its first win in 11 years against Oklahoma State (14-5).

Freshman Ana Bertozzi earned the first-ever NCEA Fences Rider of the Month for Fresno State in September as she opened the season with a 3-0 mark in the event.

Racking up the honors
In its first season with the Big 12 Conference, Fresno State has earned at least one Rider of the Month honor in each month of the fall. Bertozzi earned the first honor for Fresno State as the September Fences Rider of the Month. Alexander and Campbell swept the western accolades in October as the Reining and Horsemanship Riders of the Month, respectively. Alexander closed out the fall with her second monthly honor from the Big 12 in November.

Bertozzi (fences) and Alexander (reining) also earned NCEA Rider of the Month honors during the fall - Bertozzi in September and Alexander in November.

More MOP's please
The Bulldogs have earned 14 total Most Outstanding Performer honors this season, surpassing the nine that Fresno State earned in the fall of last season.

Sophomore horsemanship team member Kameron Thorn secured the first for the 'Dogs this year in their season opener at South Carolina on Sept. 20. The jumping seat members earned four total MOPs at their jumping seat only meets versus Sweet Briar College and the University of Lynchburg. The reining MOP's have been split by senior Paige Barton with two and Alexander with three. The freshman from Redding, Calif. finished her season with back-to-back MOP honors.

MOP breakdown by event:

Horsemanship - 2
Reining - 5
Fences - 4
Flat - 3

Highest rankings in Bulldog history
Going hand-in-hand with the year of firsts, Fresno State has earned its highest-ever team ranking, finishing the fall season at No. 4. The Bulldogs were the ninth-ranked team in the NCEA preseason poll.

The NCEA released its first set of event rankings on Nov. 26. The Bulldogs were ranked in the top 10 in each of the four events - No. 10 in the fences, No. 7 in the flat, No. 4 in horsemanship and No. 2 in reining. Fresno State's second-ranked reining squad is the highest event ranking by any Bulldog event since the NCEA introduced the rankings in spring of 2018.

How are the events doing?
The western squads have a winning 43-22-5 record throughout the fall with horsemanship leading the way with a 22-12-1 mark and reining contributing a 21-10-4 record. The jumping seat team has a 42-45-1 record in the fall, including its jumping seat only competition rides. The fences has a 19-25 record while the flat leads the way with a 23-20-1 mark.

What's next?
Fresno State resumes action against No. 1 Auburn at the Student Horse Center on Feb. 1. The Tigers have not lost a meet since Mar. 31, 2018. Auburn is the reigning team national champion.

A week after facing off with the top-ranked program, the Bulldogs will host UC Davis and UT-Martin on Feb. 7 and 8, respectively. Fresno State will have its first road meet since September as it travels to Texas to face TCU and Baylor on Feb. 21 and 22.

The Bulldogs will honor their seniors on Mar. 6 as they host the University of Lynchburg (Jumping Seat only) and SMU at the Student Horse Center. Fresno State's regular season finale will be at Oklahoma State on Mar. 14 before the Bulldogs kick off postseason competition at the Big 12 Championships (Mar. 27-28) and the National Championships (April 15-18) in Waco, Texas.

"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please visit bulldogfoundation.org.

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Fresno State Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Bailey Alexander

Paige Barton

Ana Bertozzi

Nicole Campbell

Brooklyn Moch

Lexee Padrick

Kameron Thorn

Hannah Way

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