Baylor EQ: Getting to Know Alexis Rutledge

Mon Jun 3 08:23:06 CDT 2024

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – June 3, 2024

EQ: Getting to Know Alexis Rutledge
Get to Know Baylor’s Equestrian Student-Athletes

For more information contact: Brent Ingram; 210-845-8651, brent_ingram at baylor.edu<mailto:brent_ingram at baylor.edu>

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth of a Summer series allowing the Baylor fans to get to know some of the elite student-athletes from the equestrian team on BaylorBears.com.

Rising senior Alexis Rutledge has been a fixture in the lineup the first three seasons for Baylor. A native of Altoona, Iowa, Rutledge competes in Western for the Bears and is coming off a seven-win season in Horsemanship in 2023-24, including wins over No. 1 TCU, No. 5/7 Oklahoma State and No. 7 UC Davis.

She was named Most Outstanding Performer following a strong outing vs. No. 5 OSU on Oct. 13. Her sophomore year featured a team-high nine Horsemanship wins, was named Big 12 Horsemanship Rider of the Month in January and was a two-time Most Outstanding Performer.

Academically, Rutledge shines, earning 2021 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie honors, 2022-23 Academic All-Big 12 First-Team accolades, is a two-time Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection, a 2023 APHA NCEA All-Academic First-Team honoree and a member of the 2023 NCEA Academic Honor Roll.

At what age did you begin competing in equestrian events?

Alexis Rutledge: I began competing in equestrian events when I was five years old. I started out doing barrel racing, then moving into jumping seat and English events when I was eight, and then later at around 12 began competing in the National Quarter Horse Association.

Why did you start competing in equestrian?

AR: Riding horses has always been a big part of my family's life. My great uncle was a horse trader and my mom showed horses, non-competitively, growing up.

What is your earliest memory of riding?

AR: Waiting for my mom to pick me up and put me on a random horse (at my uncle’s where he traded horses) every day so I could run around bareback on it while she did chores.

Who is your inspiration in sports and why?

AR: My mom is my inspiration when it comes to the sport I participate in because riding horses was always her passion but she was never presented with the same opportunities that I was, so I always wanted to do good and go farther in the industry for her.

Who is a current/former collegiate or professional athlete whom you admire and why?

AR: I admire Bethany Hamilton because her story is truly inspirational. She exemplifies resilience and determination in the face of overwhelming adversity. Rather than giving up when she lost her arm, she made an extraordinary comeback, returning to competitive surfing just months after the incident.

What family members have made the biggest impact on your life and why?

AR: My mom is Laurie, she has always pushed me and taken me to all my competitions. My dad is Shannon, he was a college football player and he has taught me discipline and mentored me through the college time management process. My sister is Carley, she has always looked up to me, following in my footsteps.

What are your strengths in your discipline? What are the areas you are currently trying to work on the most?

AR: I believe I have strength in connecting with a horse, understanding them and carrying them through a successful pattern. I do my best to keep them happy because that typically leads to the most success. Although I would consider myself a good teammate, I think I could have more positive and happy energy and focus more on uplifting others.

Why did you decide to attend Baylor?

AR: I attended Baylor because I loved the business school and the equestrian team. They had the majors I was interested in and all the people seemed so genuinely kind. Professors take the time to really get to know their students.

What is your academic major and why did you select that major?

AR: My academic majors are risk management and insurance as well as marketing. I chose these because I knew I wanted to go into business and thought these would give me a good variety of options. My family does insurance, so that is a route I am very interested in.

What are your career goals and why do you have an interest in pursuing that particular career?

AR: My career goal currently is to be a reinsurance broker. In summer 2023 I interned at a crop insurance company that had just recently opened a brokerage solutions company. This brokerage fed my interest in the area, leading me to take an internship this summer, in London, at a reinsurance brokerage office.

Have there been any big obstacles that you have had to overcome in your life? How did you overcome them and how did that experience help shape you?

AR: When I was a junior in high school, I got sick and I could not leave my bed for about two months. It was during COVID-19, so many other people in my sport were spending a lot of time practicing and riding because it was one of the few things we were allowed to do. I felt like I was falling behind and that everyone was going to have a better chance at competing than me. I overcame this by going back strong and being dedicated to improving and competing against myself, not comparing myself to others. This experience shaped me because I began to understand that there is always going to be someone out there that is better than you, you just have to be better than you were yesterday.

What do you enjoy doing outside of equestrian and school?

AR: I enjoy running, reading, and traveling. I have run two half marathons and am currently working in London while traveling around the UK and Europe.

Do you have any pets? What are their names and what role do they play in your life?

AR: I have too many horses to count, two BIG dogs (Bear and Jersey), like six cats, a pig named Winston, and my mom has a raccoon named Julia that just had babies.

What is something most people might not know about you?

AR: I love political science and am still to this day contemplating going to law school….lol

What would you most like to be known for as a Baylor student-athlete?

AR: A funny, happy, kind, supportive teammate that has other people’s backs and watches out for her friends.

What advice would you give to a young girl who would like to one day be in your shoes?

AR: Don’t stress so much about starting, competing, getting recruited, etc. just do your best and have fun.

- BaylorBears.com -

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Brent Ingram | Assistant AD for Communications
Men’s Tennis Sport Program Administrator
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 210-845-8651

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