No. 8 Baylor Equestrian Edges Past Fresno State, 11-7

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Nov. 18, 2022

No. 8 Baylor Equestrian Edges Past Fresno State, 11-7
Pratt, Rutledge, Silvestri pick up Most Outstanding Performer honors in win
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – No. 8 Baylor equestrian (2-4, 2-1) took care of Fresno State (0-6, 0-3) Friday at the Willis Family Equestrian Center by a total of 11-7.

The Bears and Bulldogs were neck-and-neck throughout the majority of the meet, but after a 4-1 event win in Reining, Baylor pulled away for its second conference victory of the season.

Senior Dominika Silvestri picked up her second Most Outstanding Performer honor of the season, and first in Flat, while sophomore Alexis Rutledge collected her first-career MOP award in Horsemanship. In Reining, senior Andie Pratt earned her first MOP of the season and second of her career.

THE RUNDOWN
With the competition being played in only one arena, the day began with a tie in Fences as the Bears and Bulldogs each put up two points. BU received tallies from Maddie Vorhies (83) and Lauren Reid (78), while Silvestri’s 80 matched her opponent’s score to cancel out the deciding point.

Following a brief pause to clear the arena, Flat and Horsemanship got underway simultaneously. On the Jumping Seat side, Baylor grabbed a 3-1 victory behind points from Silvestri (80), Madi Mitchell (78) and Reid (76). Furthermore, Vorhies tied her matchup at 79 to help hold FS to just one point in the event. In the Western event, the Bulldogs kept things close with a 3-2 victory. Alexis Rutledge put down a strong 77 and Marley Mainwaring scored a 74.5 to win points for the Bears, helping BU take a narrow 7-6 lead into the last event of the day.

To close things out, Madaline Callaway led a 4-1 event win for Baylor in Reining. Her point-winning score of 73 tied her own season- and event-high for the Bears this year, and alongside Pratt’s 72, Shelby Clausen’s 72 and Jenna Meimerstorf’s 71.5, the Bears were able to put away the meet.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor’s Flat squad picked up its second event win of the year.
• Baylor’s Reining team snapped a three-meet losing streak for its third event win of the season.
• Dominika Silvestri picked up her sixth-career Most Outstanding Performer award, second of the season and second-career honor in Flat with a point-winning 80. It was Silvestri’s fifth-consecutive win in Flat.
• Andie Pratt collected her second-career MOP award in Reining with a point-winning 72.
• Alexis Rutledge gathered her first-career MOP honor with a season-high 77 in Horsemanship.
• Lauren Reid and Maddie Vorhies each collected their third-consecutive wins in Fences.
• Marley Mainwaring made her season-debut in Horsemanship with a point-winning 74.5.
• Madaline Callaway put down a 73 in Reining for the third time this season, Baylor’s highest score in the event this season.
• Shelby Clausen and Pratt each scored a season-high 72 in Reining.

STAT OF THE MEET
4-1 – Baylor’s 4-1 win in Reining helped the Bears clinch the victory over the Bulldogs, extending the lead past one point for the first time in the meet.

QUOTABLE
Head coach Casie Maxwell
On today’s win, Reining’s performance and senior leadership…
“I think this team really showed its resilience in all four events, which was good, and they needed that today. Fresno State came out looking for a win and didn’t make it easy for us at all. It’s really rewarding [for Reining to clinch the win] and a lot of pressure in that last event. They know what to do, they know what their job is and we didn’t change the game plan just because of what the score was. I’m so proud of the Jumping Seat seniors to have this kind of consistency and confidence. It shows their leadership with how they realize how critical their roles are.”

Jumping Seat senior Maddie Vorhies
On the difference riding at home makes…
“It’s a really good feeling [to be 2-0 at home]. Riding here, having all 61 people on the team is way fun. The cheers are louder. We all get to spend time with our horses and our people, so it’s such an advantage to be at home. I love it. There is just so much more support, and from the people here at Baylor too, which is so much more fun.”

Horsemanship sophomore Alexis Rutledge
On her first-career MOP…
“It was awesome. I was on the horse [Zeke] that I really like, and I rode him before last year against Auburn. This year, I went in knowing that I could push him and I had a lot of fun.”

WHAT’S NEXT
No. 8 Baylor (2-4, 2-1) will take a two-month hiatus before returning to the competition arena on Jan. 27 to start the spring season against UT Martin.

To stay up to date on all things Baylor equestrian, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorEQ.

-BaylorBears.com-



__________________________________

Max Calderone | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (BSB, FB, EQ)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-265-1639

[signature_3591895146]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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