Cowgirls Close Out Season At Kansas State

March 14, 2012

Cowgirls Travel To Kansas State In Season Finale

Oklahoma State is riding a five-match win streak.

STILLWATER, Okla. - The Oklahoma State Equestrian team travels to Manhattan, Kan., to take on the Kansas State Wildcats in the regular season finale for both teams on Saturday, March 17.

About The Cowgirls

Oklahoma State is 7-4 on the season, coming off a 13-10 victory over the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs last weekend at Animal Science Arena in Stillwater.

OSU In The Rankings

The Cowgirls are ranked fourth in the latest Women's Intercollegiate Equestrian National Coaches Poll. They received 45 points in the poll, just 11 behind No. 3 Texas A&M. All four Big 12 participating schools currently rank in the top eight.

About The Opponent

The Kansas State Wildcats are ranked eighth in the nation and coming off a 15-9 loss at the hands of the Baylor Bears.

What's At Stake

With a win in Manhattan the Cowgirls can:

- Finish with a 4-2 record in conference competition.

- Finish the regular season on a six-match winning streak.

- Clinch the top seed for the Big 12 Championships.

MVP

The Cowgirls have impressed the judges this year, earning 24 MVP honors on the season. They are led by Katy Krshka, who has picked up five MVPs (three in reining, two in horsemanship) in her debut season as a Poke, including two during a road trip to top-ranked Auburn and South Carolina. Samantha Elser has two MVP honors in equitation over fences.

MVP Breakdown By Discipline

Reining: Caroline Daniels (4), Katy Krshka (3), Jenna Blumer (1)

Horsemanship: Katy Krshka (2), Lindsey McMullen (1), Lauren Halvorson (1), Marissa Dalton (1)

Equitation Over Fences: Samantha Elser (2), Ali Rose (1), Allison Joyce (1)

Equitation On The Flat: Jordan White (3), Andrea Robbins (2), Allison Dooman (1), Haydan Vosburgh (1)

Western Superlatives

Freshman Katy Krshka has a team-high 13 wins on the season (seven in horsemanship, six in reining) and boasts a .765 overall winning percentage.

Krshka and sophomore Lauren Halvorson share a 7-2 record in horsemanship, tied for a discipline-high .778 winning percentage.

Senior Caroline Daniels is riding a five-match winning streak, including three-straight MVP performances, all coming against top five competition.

More Individual Honors

Jordan White and freshman Katy Krshka earned Big 12 Rider of the Month honors for their performances in November.

White went 2-1 in equitation on the flat in the month and added another head-to-head victory in equitation over fences.

Krshka went 5-1 in the month, including a perfect 3-0 mark in reining. The standout earned two MVPs in the discipline, giving her three such honors on the season. She had the team-high score in four of her six performances in November.

The awards were the second and third such awards earned by the Cowgirls this year, with sophomore Ali Rose picking up the honor for her performance in equitation over fences in October.

Freshman Standout

Katy Krshka's honors don't stop at the conference level... Varsity Equestrian named her the November Western Student-Athlete of the Month.

Equestrian Launches New Organization

In an effort to further advance equestrian to an NCAA championship sport, the entity formally known as Varsity Equestrian has established an association to become the voice for the sport of equestrian within college athletics. The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) was founded to be the catalyst for growth of varsity level equestrian competition.

Lineups

Equitation On The Flat: Andrea Robbins (So.), Ali Rose (So.), Ellie Sparks (Jr.), Jordan White (Sr.), Samantha Harrison (So.), Allison Dooman (So.), Haydan Vosburgh (Jr.)

Equitation Over Fences: Sammy Elser (So.), Maggie Gampfer (Fr.), Samantha Harrison (So.), Ali Rose (So.), Allison Joyce (Fr.), Sarah Gesick (Sr.), Andrea Robbins (So.)

Horsemanship: Marissa Dalton (Jr.), Mackenzie Fugitt (So.), Lauren Halvorson (So.), Katy Krshka (Fr.), Lindsey McMullen (Fr.), Mamie Tomlin (Sr.), Katie Ralph (So.), Mackenzie Fugitt (So.), Allison Hurlbut (Fr.)

Reining: Jenna Blumer (So.), Caroline Daniels (Sr.), Rachel Houchin (Sr.), Katy Krshka (Fr.), Christy McElreath (Jr.), Jenna Blumer (So.)