2016-17 Season in Review: Equestrian

Photo by: Paige Kemper

April 24, 2017 | Cowgirl Equestrian

Individual Season Stats Year-End Video

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State Equestrian team recorded another highly successful season in 2016-17, highlighted by an 8-2 regular season record, a national ranking that reached as high as No. 2 and seven Cowgirls earning All-American recognition.

"This was a great team that really came together as the season progressed," said OSU head coach Larry Sanchez.

The season began with a huge boost in roster presence for the Cowgirls. The team added 12 freshman and five transfer students to its already impressive roster, many of which would contribute greatly to the Cowgirls' success during the 2016-17 season.

"The bond of the team this year was really something different from the past 4 years I've been here" captain Maggie Drysch said. "Not only were we close, but we had each others' backs which made the victories so much more special and the losses a little less bitter."

The season began with a road trip north to Delaware State, where the Cowgirls would win their season opener over the Hornets, 11-8. All four Most Outstanding Performer Honors went to OSU — Libby Collins won Horsemanship, Alexa Beaty won Reining, Drysch won Equitation on the Flat and Jorden Davis won in Equitation over Fences.

Next up, the Cowgirls faced a tough SMU squad in Dallas. In a close battle, the Mustangs came out on top, defeating OSU, 10-8. Ebba Lange proved her NCEA All-American status with a win and an MOP honor during her Reining matchup.

OSU hosted Baylor for a Big 12 Conference matchup and the first home competition of the year. The Cowgirls ousted the Bears, 12-8, to move to 1-0 in Big 12 Conference play. Lange continued to shine for the Cowgirls, moving to 3-0 on the year, with Davis, Lange and Miranda Reed all coming away with MOP honors for the match.

Lange was honored as the NCEA Rider of the Month in October for Reining. The junior also won Big 12 Rider of the Month honors, as did Davis, who won Big 12 Rider of the Month for Equitation over Fences.

The Cowgirls also defeated their other Big 12 Conference rival in TCU in Fort Worth, coming away with an 11-8 victory as Kendall Pedigo clinched the winning point for OSU in a tight contest. Hannah Janson competed for the Cowgirls for the first time, winning an MOP honor for Equitation over Fences to go along with Danielle Cohen's MOP honor in Reining.

In the final fall matchup, the Cowgirls faced a tough test in Georgia. The competition came down to the very last point, as Mitchell edged out her opponent, 72-70.5, to tie the match at 10. OSU would go on to win in raw scores to finish 4-1 during the fall.

Reed would be honored as the Big 12 Rider of the Month in November for Horsemanship.

In February, the second half of the season would prove to be as much of a test as the first half. The Cowgirls traveled to Waco, Texas, where they would lose to the Bears, 15-4. Mitchell and Beaty won their Reining points, and Mitchell was honored as the MOP for her victory. Carly Barrick and Kirsten Chamberland would provide two more points to the Cowgirls total by winning in Equitation over Fences and Horsemanship, respectively.

A trip to South Dakota State pushed the Cowgirls back into the win column as they defeated the Jackrabbits, 12-4. Mitchell continued to dominate in the Reining discipline, winning her point and her second-consecutive MOP honor. Miller, Drysch and Davis also won MOP honors for the match.

The Cowgirls hosted their final Big 12 Conference matchup against TCU, defeating the Horned Frogs, 16-4. OSU's Hunt Seat squad shut out TCU, with Drysch scoring a career high of 91 in Equitation on the Flat. The senior earned double MOP honors in both Hunt Seat events to cap off the day.

Barrick, Drysch and Mitchell were all honored as Big 12 Riders of the Month for February. Barrick won the Equitation over Fences award, Drysch won the Equitation on the Flat award and Mitchell won the Reining award.

The Cowgirls hit the road once more during the regular season as they traveled to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to face New Mexico State. The Cowgirls would win the matchup, 10-5, behind Reed's career-high score of 77.5 in Horsemanship. Mitchell would win her fourth-straight MOP honor as she claimed her eighth victory of the year.

OSU hosted their final regular season matchup against Fresno State, honoring their four seniors as Reed, Drysch, Davis and Jordan Langan were commemorated for their accomplishments as Cowgirls. Barrick, Maddie Bender and Mitchell all won MOP honors for the match as Mitchell won her ninth-straight matchup.

The Cowgirls then looked to the Big 12 Championships in Waco, Texas. OSU defeated TCU, 11-8, but fell to Baylor in the championship match, 11-7. Reed and Lange were awarded MOP honors at the Big 12 Championships in Horsemanship and Reining, respectively.
A slew of awards would be given to the Cowgirls during championship season as five Cowgirls were named to All-Big 12 teams. Barrick was on the All-Big 12 Equitation over Fences team, Drysch was named to the All-Big 12 Equitation on the Flat team and Mitchell, Cohen and Lange were all named to the All-Big 12 Reining team. Mitchell won the 2017 Reining Rider of the Year award, and Larry Sanchez was honored as the Big 12 Coach of the Year.

The Cowgirls earned a bye at the 2017 NCEA Championships before facing Texas A&M in the quarterfinals. Davis would win the lone point for OSU as the season ended during the NCEA Championship quarterfinals.

"We were all disappointed with our outcome at Nationals, however, we refuse to let one weekend define the entire season," said OSU head coach Larry Sanchez.

OSU held 23 spots on the NCEA All-Academic teams and had seven NCEA All-Americans, the second most among any school. Mitchell held a first-team NCEA All-American spot for Reining, while Lange and Drysch earned spots on the NCEA All-American second team in Reining and Equitation on the Flat, respectively. Janson and Barrick earned honorable mentions in Equitation over Fences, and Davis earned a spot on the honorable mention Equitation on the Flat team, her third NCEA All-American award. Cohen wrapped up the awards with an honorable mention in Reining.

With the extreme amount of talent and recognition the Cowgirls gained this year, it's hard not to be excited about what the future holds for OSU Equestrian.

"I am already looking forward to the start of next season, as we have a great group of young ladies returning and have added a lot of talent with our incoming freshmen," said OSU head coach Larry Sanchez.