The No. 9 K-State equestrian team rallied in the first round of the NCEA National Championship to defeat SMU, 10-5, at the Extraco Events Center.
Kansas State is now 9-8 on the season. The Wildcats secured the victory in both disciplines against the Mustangs winning in Hunt Seat, 6-2, and in Western, 4-3. This is the second year in a row the Wildcats have retaliated late in the day to advance themselves to the quarterfinals.
"The team rode really strong today across the board and that depth is required to move us forward at the National Championship," Kansas State head coach Casie Maxwell said. "It was great to see them trust in their preparations and go ride with great confidence. We are looking forward to watching them build off of today's great start as they take on Georgia tomorrow."
No. 5 Auburn Tops No. 12 UT-Martin, 13-3, To Advance At NCEA Championship
The No. 5 Auburn equestrian team defeated 12th-seeded UT-Martin, 13-3, on Thursday to advance to the second round of the NCEA Championships at the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas.
“It was a great win,” head coach Greg Williams said. “We did everything we wanted, and the girls made a statement. They showed what they can do. The only points we didn’t win we actually had some pretty big errors and a couple of those we could have gone our way. That is riding well when you can have a penalty and still almost come out on top, but who is going to complain when you have a 13-3 win? It is a huge, solid victory. I can’t wait to get back out there.”
Auburn tied the Skyhawks, 2-2, in Reining to start the match, picking up wins from senior Katsy Leeman, who defeated Maddy Williams, 135.5-131 and freshman Alexa Rivard, who topped Katie Kallvig, 141-138.
Cowgirls Oust TCU To Advance To NCEA Quarterfinals
The Oklahoma State equestrian team defeated No. 7 TCU, 13-3, in the first round of the National Collegiate Equestrian Association Championships at the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas, on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Cowgirls (5-7, 3-3 Big 12) maintained their focus throughout the day, overwhelming the Horned Frogs in all four events. Oklahoma State won the hunt seat events, 6-2, and the western events, 7-1.
The day started with equitation on the flat, where the Pokes tallied a 3-1 advantage to take an early lead over the Horned Frogs. Maggie Drysch scored the first Cowgirl point with a 165-161 win over TCU's Kari Hancock. Amy White earned her fourth consecutive victory on the flat, knocking off TCU's Kaitlin Perry, 167-160. Jorden Davis clinched the event with a score of 180 that bested Nikki Diamantis of TCU's 167.
Fresno State Edges New Mexico State at NCEA Championship
Fresno State posted a come-from-behind 8-7 victory against New Mexico State on Thursday to advance to the NCEA Championship quarterfinal round.
The 11th seeded Aggies held a 6-5 lead after three events, but the sixth seeded Bulldogs claimed the win with a 3-1 decision in Horsemanship. With the win Fresno State advances to the NCEA quarterfinals against South Carolina on Friday.
“We were right with them and it came down to the bitter end,” said NM State coach Robin Morris-Walters. “We just made a few mistakes that were crucial to the overall win.”
Read more about Thursday's NCEA national Championship competition at www.collegiateequestrian.com/.
Watch the quarterfinals live at www.baylorbears.com.