Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Hit the Road to Face No. 10 SMU
March 06, 2015 | Cowgirl Equestrian
The Oklahoma State equestrian team will hit the road this weekend when they travel to Dallas, Texas for a showdown with the 10th-ranked SMU Mustangs at Sleepy P Ranch on Sunday, March 8 at 10 a.m.
About the Cowgirls
The Cowgirls (4-4, 3-3 Big 12) are led by 16th-year head coach Larry Sanchez, eighth year assistant coach Kayla Hrencher and second year assistant coach Stacy Sanderson. The Cowgirls are coming off a huge 11-8 victory over then No. 1 Baylor in Stillwater last Friday. The squad has won three consecutive meets, all coming over Big 12 foes. The Cowgirls will be looking to pick up their first road win of the season on Sunday.
About the Mustangs
The Mustangs (4-6) come into Sunday's meet having lost three-straight road meets against Auburn, South Carolina and TCU. SMU is led by head coach Carol Gwin, western coach Trista Adkins and hunt seat coach Natalie Burton. The Mustangs are coming off of an 11-7 loss at TCU onf Feb. 6. The Mustangs are 2-0 in their only two home meets of the season thus far.
Last Time Out
The Oklahoma State equestrian team knocked off No. 1 Baylor, 11-8, at Animal Science Arena last Friday in its final home meet of the season. The win was the Cowgirls' third-straight.
After dropping the hunter seat events, 5-4-1, the eighth-ranked Cowgirls (4-4, 3-3 Big 12) handled the Bears in western, 7-3, to pull off the upset and hand Baylor its first loss of the season.
The Bears jumped out to an early lead in the first event of the day, taking a 4-1 win in equitation over fences. Maggie Drysch scored the Cowgirls' lone point in fences with an 85-81 win over Paige Parker of Baylor. Drysch's score of 85 was her highest in fences this season. Baylor's Sam Schaefer earned MOP (Most Outstanding Performer) honors in the event.
The Cowgirls cut the Baylor lead to one after notching a 3-2 victory in horsemanship. Junior Paris Nottingham took home MOP honors for her 75.5-74.5 defeat of Baylor's Parris Rice. Ty Paris picked up her second-straight win, knocking off Rachel Nankervis, 75-65.5. Senior Katy Krshka notched the event-sealing point with a 75.5-72 triumph over Baylor's Lacy Watson. With the win, the Cowgirls moved to 8-0 in horsemanship this season.
Oklahoma State took control of the meet in equitation, assuming the lead after a 3-1 win in the event. Drysch tallied her second victory of the day, topping Baylor's Savannah Jenkins, 88-80, to earn her second-overall MOP honor of the season. Jorden Davis scored a point for the Cowgirls in her 86-85 win over Rachel Van Allen. Cowgirl freshman Kendall Pedigo clinched the event, besting Sam Schaefer, 85-84. Cowgirl Amy White and Baylor's Brittney Mirkov tied with scores of 83.
The Cowgirls clinched the meet with a 4-1 victory in reining. Senior Katy Krshka won MOP honors for downing Baylor's Ginger Chant, 74-68.5, in her final home meet as Cowgirl. Freshmen Ebba Lange and Julia Purus came up big for the Pokes, tallying the Cowgirls' ninth and tenth points to seal the upset. After a review that disqualified Baylor's Michelina Carbone, junior Erin Willoughby came out as the winner of her ride to score the Cowgirls' final point.
In the Rankings
The Oklahoma State equestrian team is up three spots to No. 5 in this week's team rankings release by the National Collegiate Equestrian Association on Tuesday.
For the second-straight week, all four Big 12 teams are represented in the poll. Baylor fell two spots to No. 3 this week, followed closely by TCU at No. 4. Kansas State currently sits as the nation's ninth-ranked team.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Move the Cowgirls to 5-4 overall this season.
• Be the fourth-straight win for the Cowgirls.
• Be the Cowgirls' first road win of the season.
• Move the Cowgirls to 8-0 in the overall series with the Mustangs.
• Be the Cowgirls' second win ever over SMU in Dallas.
The Series
SMU is still searching for its first win in the all-time series between the two programs as the Cowgirls hold a 7-0 advantage in the overall series with the Mustangs. Last time the two teams met was last season at the NCEA Championships. The Cowgirls took the 11-5 victory over the Mustangs to move to the championship semifinals. In 2011, the only other time that the two teams met in Dallas, Oklahoma State took a 7-2 victory.
Rider of the Month
Oklahoma State equestrian senior Katy Krshka was named Big 12 Rider of the Month and NCEA Rider of the Month in reining for the month of February, the league offices announced this week.
The honor is Krshka's fourth career Big 12 Rider of the Month honor in reining, and first of the season in the event. It is Krshka's second overall Big 12 monthly honor this season. She was named Big 12 Rider of the Month in horsemanship for November.
Krshka had an outstanding February, riding to a perfect 3-0 mark in reining while also picking up three MOP (Most Outstanding Performer) honors in the event. The senior Cowgirl helped push the Cowgirls to a 3-0 record in February, with all three wins coming over ranked opponents.
In her senior season, Katy Krshka is 14-2 overall with a 7-1 record in both reining and horsemanship. Krshka has also picked up nine MOP honors on the year.
Success in Horsemanship
The Cowgirls have yet to be beaten in the horsemanship event this season, tallying an undefeated 8-0 record. The Oklahoma State horsemanship team is led by senior Lindsey McMullen (7-1, one MOP), senior Katy Krshka (7-1, three MOP's) and junior Paris Nottingham (5-3, three MOP's).
Home Conference Streak
With their win on Friday, the Cowgirls have won seven-straight home conference meets going back to the 2012-13 season. The Cowgirls' last Big 12 loss at home was a 10-9 contest to TCU in November of 2012. Even with that loss, the Cowgirls have won eight of their last nine home Big 12 contests.
Super Seniors
Western riders Katy Krshka and Lindsey McMullen have been big for the Cowgirls so far this year. The two seniors have notched a combined 21-3 overall record. McMullen is 7-1 in the horsemanship event with an MOP honor to her credit, while Krshka is an impressive 14-2 overall with a 7-1 record in both horsemanship and reining. Krshka has also picked up nine total MOP honors this season.
Lucky Number Three
The Cowgirls' win over Baylor in last season's Big 12 Championship brought the team its third-consecutive Big 12 Championship. With the win, the squad became the first team in Big 12 history to win three-straight equestrian titles.
The championship was the program's fourth overall, with the first coming in 2009.
