'Dogs sweep MOP honors in 12-8 win over Aggies

FRESNO, Calif. - The No. 8 Fresno State equestrian team defeated No. 10 UC Davis 12-8 at the Student Horse Center on Thursday afternoon. In a rematch between the teams after the Feb. 13 meet at UC Davis, the Bulldogs had strong rides in each arena to take the win over the Aggies.

The Bulldogs improve to 2-0 on the year.

Fresno State swept the Most Outstanding Performer honors on the day with sophomore Ana Bertozzi earning both of the jumping seat awards, and Paley Capachi (reining) and Alexis Steele (horsemanship) bringing home the western honors. Capachi earned her first career MOP honor on Thursday.

How it Happened
The afternoon began with the fences and horsemanship. UC Davis won the fences event in a narrow 3-2 outing. The Bulldogs earned points from Bertozzi and Sara Tuck. Bertozzi earned the fences MOP with an 83 to her opponent's 77. Tuck scored her first point of the season on a 68-67 ride.

The horsemanship 'Dogs performed well in the arena, outscoring the Aggies 4-1 in the event. Fresno State earned points from Kameron Thorn, Emily Maul, Brooklyn Moch and Steele in the horsemanship. In the rides that won points, Fresno State did not score below a 73. Thorn had the highest score in the horsemanship with a 75.5 to her UC Davis opponent's 72. Steele was awarded the MOP with a 75 to her opponent's 69.5.

At the break, Fresno State led 6-4.

Similar to the last meeting between the teams, Fresno State and UC Davis were closely matched in the reining. The Bulldogs pulled out a 3-2 win in the event with points from Lexee Padrick, Julianne Kelley and Capachi. Capachi earned her first career MOP with a career-high 70-68.5 ride over Amber Nusser.

In the final event of the day, Fresno State defeated UC Davis 3-2 in the flat to take the meet win on the day. The Bulldogs earned the first two points in the event behind high scoring rides from Tuck (80-74) and Bertozzi (89-87). Bertozzi earned her first career MOP in the flat with a career-high 89 in draw seven to defeat the UCD score of 87. Freshman Grace Mathias earned her second collegiate flat point with a 68-67 ride.

Notable

Ana Bertozzi remains undefeated in both jumping seat events this season.
Sara Tuck was undefeated in the jumping seat events on the day.
Kameron Thorn has scored a 75.5 or higher in three-straight horsemanship rides dating back to March 6, 2020.
Elle Martin competed in her first collegiate flat ride.
Four Bulldogs set new career-highs on Thursday.
The Bulldogs have won 7-of-8 possible MOPs this season.

Up Next - Fresno State will travel to Texas for a pair of competitions against TCU and SMU on Mar. 5-6, respectively.

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'Dogs sweep MOP honors in 12-8 win over Aggies

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Players Mentioned

Ana Bertozzi

Paley Capachi

Julianne Kelley

Elle Martin

Grace Mathias

Emily Maul

Brooklyn Moch

Lexee Padrick

Alexis Steele

Kameron Thorn

Sara Tuck

Fresno State Athletics