Fresno State Athletics
Photo by: Wyatt Bible
From Bulldog standout to coach: Sara Tuck’s Fresno State journey comes full circle
2/20/2026 3:10:00 PM | Equestrian
FRESNO, Calif. - For Sara Tuck, Fresno State has been a place of opportunity. It was the opportunity to ride at the collegiate level, the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree, the opportunity to become a Division I coach, and now the opportunity to earn her master's degree.
"Fresno State is community, and a place that I feel safe and welcomed to," said Tuck. "It was a place that I never thought would be as much of a home to me as it turned out to be. After graduation, I could have gone home and worked there but I decided to stay because all of my people are here. The team and school brought me really good friends and people that I view as my second family. It is nice to be able to have that still to this day. Fresno State has been so important to me and my life."
Tuck rose to the top as one of Fresno State's most decorated equestrians. As a Bulldog student-athlete for five seasons (2019-24), Tuck saw the ups and downs of the sport. Competing in both jumping seat events, Tuck had a combined four wins in her first season in the lineups but quickly turned things around with an impressive nine flat wins in her next season.
In the 2022-23 season, she earned All-Big 12 honors in the flat and broke the program's all-time record with a career-high 96. She completed her collegiate career with first team All-America honors in the flat, and another All-Big 12 accolade to her name.
Not only does she hold the program's top score in the flat, but she owns the program record for most career Most Outstanding Performer honors with 10. MOPs are given out by the judges at the conclusion of each regular season meet to the rider who demonstrated their skill the best in that day's ride.
"I am grateful for the opportunity that all of the coaches gave me to be able to compete and grow with my skills. Without them, I would not have been able to do this and grow into a more confident person that I am today than I was when I was 18 years old. I am grateful for them. I am fortunate and grateful to know that I have been very successful in this program. I wouldn't have been able to do it by myself if I didn't have my coaches and teammates to uplift me."
Tuck had the opportunity to return for her fifth year. She didn't have to take it, but she did and it paid off.
"To come back to my fifth year, there were multiple reasons why. One, was getting to pursue my education. If I wasn't offered a fifth year, I know for a fact I wouldn't have gone on to pursue a grad school education. By having that opportunity, it was nice to be able to pursue that education but also allowed me to figure out what I wanted to do as a career. I never really wanted to be a professional in this sport, so having that fifth year to figure it out was good. Also the fact that I was able to continue riding and do the sport that I love with the teammates and the people I love, it made it all worth it."
Not only was she successful in the show ring but she was successful in the classroom. Tuck was an agriculture business major in Fresno State's Jordan College of Agriculture. As a student, she was a four-time first team NCEA All-Academic selection. She's one of two Bulldog equestrian student-athletes to be a four-time first team selection for the academic honor.
One year removed from the conclusion of her riding career, Tuck was approached with another opportunity. Head coach Eric Hubbard filled his open jumping seat assistant coach position with the former Bulldog standout. Tuck took over after another former Bulldog student-athlete turned coach moved on for another opportunity ahead of the 2025-26 season. Entering her first Division I coaching opportunity, Tuck was also pursuing her masters degree from Fresno State.
Through her first semester as a coach, she was also completing her MBA from one of the top business schools in the nation. Tuck completed her program in December 2025, and is now a two-time Fresno State graduate while also continuing to give back to the program and community that gave her the opportunities of a lifetime.
"This opportunity has been a chance to be able to share my knowledge and experience with girls in this program," Tuck said. "It has meant a lot to me to see people grow throughout the year as riders and individuals, so it is nice to know you might be able to have an impact on some kids and help them to grow and become confident in themselves. It is nice to be able to help other girls that might have the same issues that I had coming in. I want people to know that you can grow and be confident in your abilities, and know that you are worth something and you mean something regardless of what you get to do."
Tuck and the Bulldogs return to action on Feb. 26-27 for a pair of Big 12 meets at TCU and Oklahoma State before returning home to host UT Martin and Baylor on Mar. 6-7. The Bulldogs are pushing for a return to the NCEA national championship, set for April 16-18 at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla.
"There are a lot of ups and downs, but the ups outweigh the downs," added Tuck. "The season isn't over yet and there's a lot left to learn, but I have learned a lot and will continue to be learning from it all."
"Fresno State is community, and a place that I feel safe and welcomed to," said Tuck. "It was a place that I never thought would be as much of a home to me as it turned out to be. After graduation, I could have gone home and worked there but I decided to stay because all of my people are here. The team and school brought me really good friends and people that I view as my second family. It is nice to be able to have that still to this day. Fresno State has been so important to me and my life."
Tuck rose to the top as one of Fresno State's most decorated equestrians. As a Bulldog student-athlete for five seasons (2019-24), Tuck saw the ups and downs of the sport. Competing in both jumping seat events, Tuck had a combined four wins in her first season in the lineups but quickly turned things around with an impressive nine flat wins in her next season.
In the 2022-23 season, she earned All-Big 12 honors in the flat and broke the program's all-time record with a career-high 96. She completed her collegiate career with first team All-America honors in the flat, and another All-Big 12 accolade to her name.
Not only does she hold the program's top score in the flat, but she owns the program record for most career Most Outstanding Performer honors with 10. MOPs are given out by the judges at the conclusion of each regular season meet to the rider who demonstrated their skill the best in that day's ride.
"I am grateful for the opportunity that all of the coaches gave me to be able to compete and grow with my skills. Without them, I would not have been able to do this and grow into a more confident person that I am today than I was when I was 18 years old. I am grateful for them. I am fortunate and grateful to know that I have been very successful in this program. I wouldn't have been able to do it by myself if I didn't have my coaches and teammates to uplift me."
Tuck had the opportunity to return for her fifth year. She didn't have to take it, but she did and it paid off.
"To come back to my fifth year, there were multiple reasons why. One, was getting to pursue my education. If I wasn't offered a fifth year, I know for a fact I wouldn't have gone on to pursue a grad school education. By having that opportunity, it was nice to be able to pursue that education but also allowed me to figure out what I wanted to do as a career. I never really wanted to be a professional in this sport, so having that fifth year to figure it out was good. Also the fact that I was able to continue riding and do the sport that I love with the teammates and the people I love, it made it all worth it."
Not only was she successful in the show ring but she was successful in the classroom. Tuck was an agriculture business major in Fresno State's Jordan College of Agriculture. As a student, she was a four-time first team NCEA All-Academic selection. She's one of two Bulldog equestrian student-athletes to be a four-time first team selection for the academic honor.
One year removed from the conclusion of her riding career, Tuck was approached with another opportunity. Head coach Eric Hubbard filled his open jumping seat assistant coach position with the former Bulldog standout. Tuck took over after another former Bulldog student-athlete turned coach moved on for another opportunity ahead of the 2025-26 season. Entering her first Division I coaching opportunity, Tuck was also pursuing her masters degree from Fresno State.
Through her first semester as a coach, she was also completing her MBA from one of the top business schools in the nation. Tuck completed her program in December 2025, and is now a two-time Fresno State graduate while also continuing to give back to the program and community that gave her the opportunities of a lifetime.
"This opportunity has been a chance to be able to share my knowledge and experience with girls in this program," Tuck said. "It has meant a lot to me to see people grow throughout the year as riders and individuals, so it is nice to know you might be able to have an impact on some kids and help them to grow and become confident in themselves. It is nice to be able to help other girls that might have the same issues that I had coming in. I want people to know that you can grow and be confident in your abilities, and know that you are worth something and you mean something regardless of what you get to do."
Tuck and the Bulldogs return to action on Feb. 26-27 for a pair of Big 12 meets at TCU and Oklahoma State before returning home to host UT Martin and Baylor on Mar. 6-7. The Bulldogs are pushing for a return to the NCEA national championship, set for April 16-18 at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla.
"There are a lot of ups and downs, but the ups outweigh the downs," added Tuck. "The season isn't over yet and there's a lot left to learn, but I have learned a lot and will continue to be learning from it all."
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