No. 5 'Dogs come up short in tiebreaker at UC Davis

DAVIS, Calif. - The No. 5 Fresno State equestrian team dropped a narrow tiebreaker meet at UC Davis on Saturday, tying with eight points each but ultimately falling in the tiebreaker score 1606.5-1602.5. Fresno State closes the regular season with a 5-3 (2-1 Big 12) record.

For the second-straight meet, the Bulldogs swept the western Most Outstanding Performer honors. Sophomore Bailey Alexander picked up her second reining MOP of the season, and junior Kameron Thorn earned her fourth horsemanship honor this year.

The meet saw four rides that resulted in ties on Saturday with two in the horsemanship and two in reining.

The Bulldogs lost to the Aggies for the first time in the series history, dating back to the spring of 2019. UC Davis added equestrian as a varsity sport for the 2018-19 season.

How it Happened
The Aggies picked up where they left off on Thursday in the jumping seat events, outscoring Fresno State 7-3 in the two events. The Bulldogs scored one point in the fences as Ana Bertozzi won her point in a 82-76 ride. Bertozzi stayed undefeated on the day with a career-best 91-78 point in the flat. Lizzie Stodden earned the final jumping seat point for the 'Dogs on the day with a 85-84 win in the first flat ride of her career.

Fresno State won the horsemanship with three wins, and two ties in the event. Hannah Buijs scored her point on a narrow 75-74.5 ride, and the next two rides resulted in ties. Emily Maul (72.5) and Anna Wegenast (72) earned ties. Thorn picked up the next point with her 75.5-72 MOP ride, and Alexis Steele wrapped things up with a 73-72.5 point.

In the reining, Fresno State earned two points to the Aggies' one, while two riders earned ties. Alexander picked up the first point with a 70.5-67 MOP ride and Julianne Kelley scored the last point of the event in a 68.5-66 outing. Lexee Padrick (68) and Hannah Hieber (70.5) earned ties in the event.

The Bulldogs outscored the Aggies 5-1 in the western events.

Up Next
Fresno State looks toward the Big 12 Championships on Mar. 26-27, hosted by Baylor in Waco, Texas. The Bulldogs are 2-1 in conference meets this season with wins against TCU and Baylor, and a loss to Oklahoma State. The Bulldogs have the chance to compete in their first-ever Big 12 Conference championship after the 2020 championships were canceled due to COVID-19.

Notable

Anna Wegenast competed in her first horsemanship ride of the season.
Ana Bertozzi had a career-high 91 in the flat.
Bertozzi's 91 ties for the fourth-highest flat score in program history.
Kameron Thorn now has five career MOPs in horsemanship, a team-high.
Alexis Steele has won three-straight horsemanship points.
Fresno State had its most ties in a meet this season.

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No. 5 'Dogs come up short in tiebreaker at UC Davis

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Players Mentioned

Bailey Alexander

Ana Bertozzi

Hannah Buijs

Hannah Hieber

Julianne Kelley

Emily Maul

Lexee Padrick

Alexis Steele

Lizzie Stodden

Kameron Thorn

Anna Wegenast

Fresno State Athletics