Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Equestrian Shines in Home Shows
November 10, 2003 | Cowgirl Equestrian
April Peck came off a disappointing finish in the first two shows, and rode to a pair of first-place finishes. The Coweta, Okla., native won the Beginner Walk-Trot-Canter class on Saturday, and captured first in Intermediate II on Sunday. Peck was the lone Cowgirl to finish first on both days.
“After not doing good last weekend, it was time to step up, because I knew the team needed me,” Peck said. “It is all mental. You have to look at your confidence level when you step out into the ring, and show the judge that you are confident and you deserve to win.”
On Saturday, the Hunter Seat team finished the day with 40 points, which marked the highest point total since the Cowgirls tallied 40 points last year. Texas A&M, however, edged OSU out with a 43-40 margin.
“I was very pleased with how we scored,” Assistant Head Coach Suzanne Flaig said. “We scored 40 points, and that has only happened about three times. You can't be disappointed with that. But as luck would have it, Texas A&M scored 43. For us to start off the year scoring in the 40s is phenomenal.
“Normally, the winning score is in the upper 20s to lower 30s,” Flaig said. “So for two teams to finish in the 40s is really unusual. I think it is a credit to our show that the horses were even for two teams to score that high.”
National Champion Lindsey Smith moved up a class to Intermediate Fences where she garnered the first-place victory. The Mountain Home, Ark., native captured the IHSA National Championship last year in Novice Fences. The championship gave the program its fifth individual title in five years.
Kristin Dickerson rode to a first and third-place finish in Over Fences and Open Flat, respectively, while Emily Harrison qualified for regionals after winning the Intermediate Flat division. Abby Bennett also chipped in a first-place victory in Novice Flat. In the head-to-head competition, OSU and Texas A&M were tied at 12-12 after three classes. After Texas A&M earned seven team points in the Open Flat discipline to OSU's five, the Aggies took the two-point advantage.
After both teams earned seven points in Intermediate Flat, A&M earned its third-consecutive seven-point finish to extend its lead to 33-29. The Cowgirls cut the lead to 38-36 after Peck's first-place finish in Walk-Trot-Canter, but could not hold on as the Aggies placed second in the last class, while OSU finished third.
On Sunday, OSU's Western team rode five first-place finishes to a 32-31 win over Texas A&M. Kayla Elmenhorst notched a second and third-place finish to earn Reserve High Point Rider.
“I want to start off by saying that it is always difficult to compete and put on a show at the same time,” Head Coach Larry Sanchez said. “Your mind is going in so many different directions that it adds another element to stay focused and perform at your peak.
“I think the girls did a very good job this weekend of handling the situation,” Sanchez said. “I am really excited the girls are making the decisions they are making on the horses they have drawn, and the judges are appreciating that as well.”
Nicole Stec and Peck each finished first in Intermediate II, while Crissy Meeks notched her second first-place finish of the season in Open Rail. Mandy McNally and Jessie Pruitt each added first-place showings in Novice and Beginner, respectively.
OSU and Texas A&M went head-to-head again. Only this time it came down to the final class. The Aggies needed a victory in Advanced Horsemanship to pull out a 33-32 win over the Cowgirls. But when Texas A&M's rider finished second and Stephen F. Austin notched its only first-place finish of the day, the Cowgirls won their third-straight show, 32-31.
“Texas A&M has a really good team again this year and so we have to perform at our best every show,” Sanchez said. “We have to compete at the top of our game in every competition and so far we have been able to do that. Our goal throughout the year is to maintain the level of the performance we are right now.”
The Hunter Seat team returns to action Nov. 22-23 for a pair of shows at Texas A&M, while the Western team competes Dec. 6-7 in a pair of shows at home.
Results
Hunter Seat Team Results
1. TAMU 43 2. OSU 40 3. WTAMU 27 4. LSU 19 5. TTU 17 5. SFA 17
Western Team Results
1. OSU 32 2. TAMU 31 3. WTAMU 19 4. SFA 10 5. TTU 8
Hunter Seat Individual Results
Open Over Fences A 3. Ashley Holland 4. Lindsey Pounds
Open Over Fences B 2. Brittany Snider 4. Lindsey Parker
Open Over Fences C 2. Corrie Jansen 6. Emily Harrison
Intermediate Over Fences 1. Lindsey Smith 6. Taylor Pickrell
Novice Over Fences 1. Kristin Dickerson 2. Caitlyn Roberts
Open Flat A 5. Corrie Jansen R. Brittany Snider
Novice Flat A R. Amber Blythe
Open Flat B 2. Lindsay Pounds 3. Lindsay Parker
Novice Flat B 1. Abby Bennett
Open Flat C 3. Kristin Dickerson 5. Ashley Holland
Novice Flat C 2. Haley Overton
Intermediate Flat A 1. Emily Harrison 5. Mandy McNally R. Taylor Pickrell
Beginner Walk-Trot-Canter 1. April Peck
Intermediate Flat B 3. Latisha Stoehr 6. Katie Thomas
Walk-Trot-Canter B 3. Hannah Thompson
Walk-Trot 3. Karrie Kehr 4. Ashley Grace R. Michele Ammann
Walk-Trot-Canter C 4. Luann Ulrich
Western Individual Results
Reining A 2. Kayla Elmenhorst 3. Kristin Dickerson 5. Erin Frederick
Reining B 4. Brianne Wiebe 5. Katie Bohr
Intermediate II A 1. Nicole Stec
Open Rail A 2. Baily Nicholson 3. Brianne Weibe 4. Kristin Dickerson
Intermediate II B 1. April Peck
Open Rail B 1. Crissy Meeks 3. Kayla Elmenhorst
Novice A 1. Mandy McNally 4. Natalie Hoefler
Intermediate I 2. Lindsey Welsh 3. Laura Brawdy
Novice B 2. Cheryl Adamson
Advanced A 3. Brandi Thomas 4. Chandy Hale
Beginner 1. Jessie Pruitt 2. Amanda Yancey
Advanced B 3. Elizabeth Moe
