Texas A&M
BAYLOR
Aggie Riders Cruise Past Baylor, 17-7
Oct 31, 2009 | Equestrian
Oct. 31, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The sixth-ranked Texas A&M equestrian team remained unbeaten at home on the year with a convincing 17-7 win over No. 7 Baylor Saturday at the Brazos County Expo Complex.
The Aggies (2-2) won three of the four disciplines, snapping a three-match losing skid to the Bears (2-3) and extending their home win streak to four.
"We had a great day overall," head coach Tana McKay said. "We saw some great rides by the Aggies, had some great team unity, and I'm very proud of the whole team."
The hunter seat team had a strong afternoon, outscoring Baylor 9-3 and picking up its second victory of the year.
In the equitation over fences discipline, the Aggies rode two record-setting scores to their first win of the year. Leading the way was senior Lindsay Smith, whose 92-point ride set a school record in a nine-point win over Baylor's Heather Healy. Sophomore Maggie Earle took home her first career MVP honors, tying the old school mark in storming past Taylor Brown, 91-78. Three other A&M riders scored over 80, with two--sophomore Lia Chafee and freshman Kori Pickett--picking up victories.
"Overall I think our fences team really came together this week," hunter seat coach Linzy Woolf said. "We did a lot of mental preparation knowing what it would take to get this win, and overall we were as solid as we've ever been. To have two scores in the 90s and three more in the 80s is a pretty impressive feat, and I'm very proud of the girls."
A near-sweep in the equitation on the flat discipline put five more points on the board for Texas A&M, giving the squad its first win over the Bears in just over two seasons. In her first collegiate ride, redshirt freshman Christina Heine had a discipline-high 12-point victory over Kaylin Enright, while Brittney Dodson, Hannah Soibelman and Megan Webb also picked up wins.
"The flat riders were in the right place mentally today," Woolf said. "They had the right mindset and knew what it would take to get it done. Kristin's performance was pretty exciting, it was great to see her come in and put up such a high score on her first career ride. I think she's got a pretty good future ahead of her."
On the western side, A&M defeated the Bears, 8-4, giving the defending national champions their 14th consecutive victory.
The horsemanship riders were very strong, holding Baylor off the scoreboard and sweeping all six possible points. Sophomore Katie Lisabeth earned her first MVP honor of the year and third of her career by taking down Meghan Murphy, 76.5-73. The 76.5 score was a team season high in the discipline.
Senior Caroline Gunn made it 12 wins in a row in a 75-71.5 defeat of Ashley Garza, while freshman Cailey Dreyer and Cassie Mantor also picked up victories.
"It was a great day and we came away with our first sweep of the season," horsemanship coach Beth Bass said. "Katie had an aggressive, correct ride, and won a well-deserved MVP award. We now have to look ahead, and we have a tough road trip ahead of us. We will have an intense week of practice and be ready to go."
The reiners suffered a 4-2 loss, their first of the year, in a tightly-contested battle. The Bears totaled just five more points than A&M, 434.5-429.5, overall in the discipline. Senior Maggie Gratny won her eighth in a row with a 72-71 defeat of Katie Buss, while sophomore Courtney Dawe scored a personal season-high 72 points to bring home another point for the Aggies.
"We had some great rides as well on the reining side," McKay said. "The girls rode really well, but the scores just didn't always go our way. I'm proud of their effort."
Texas A&M returns to action this weekend when the Aggies embark on an important road swing. A&M will ride against No. 5 Kansas State in Manhattan on Friday at 10 a.m. before heading south to battle fourth-ranked Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Players Mentioned
