Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Equestrian Signs 2024 Class
November 10, 2023 | Cowgirl Equestrian
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State equestrian officially signed 11 riders out of the class of 2024, head coach Larry Sanchez announced Friday.
"I am very excited about our signing class this year," Sanchez said. "We have a lot of talent in this group, and I look forward to what they will bring to our team, both in and out of the arena, next fall."
OSU brings in five riders on Jumping Seat and six in Western, hailing from several parts of the country.
The Jumping Seat signees start with Reese Merna out of Mendham N.J., who was also the first Cowgirl of this class to verbally commit to the program when she was still a junior in high school. Merna has acquired several personal accolades in her time as a junior rider, highlighted by taking home first place in the USET at the Devon Horse Show, where she was the recipient of the Honey Craven Memorial Trophy. In national tournaments, she has a pair of top-five finishes in the WEC Equitation Championship and the Governor's Cup, along with a top 10 finish in the USHJA Gladstone Cup. Merna has also found success in team competitions as well as individual marks, as she's earned the gold medal in both at the Markel/USHJA Zone Jumper Championship.
Blake Rowan also joins the Cowgirls out of the east coast, hailing from Little Compton, R.I. Rowan has been on a hot streak in medal finals, as the winner of six straight Junior Equitation Medal finals spanning from 2017-23, also finishing top-five in the New England medal finals. In her first Grand Prix, Rowan placed in the top 10. As a WEF Circuit rider, she's earned reserve champion status in the Junior Hunters competition and won the Hunter Classic during WCHR week. In her career class, Rowan has five top-10 finishes in several competitions, highlighted by consecutive wins at the Kentucky Bluegrass Festival High Children's Classic.
Gable Gering, Madison Sanders and Harper Gottlieb joined the Cowgirls Jumping Seat squad from California. Gering most recently earned the gold medal in the 2023 ASPCA Maclay Region 8 Championship, as well as finishing in the top 12 at the USHJA Gladstone Cup and R.W. Mutch Championship this year.
Sanders has qualified and competed in several competitions as a junior rider. Most notably, she competed in the USEF Hunt Seat Medal Finals in 2022 and 2021, and qualified for the Maclay competition in 2022. As a younger rider, Sanders was a champion at the 14-and-under PCHA competition and placed top-four at the NHS Medal Final in 2020.
Gottlieb is a winner of the 1.25 Junior Jumper Grand Prix and the Low Junior Jumpers at the Las Vegas National. In team competitions, she helped win the 1.25 Zone Team Championship this year. She finished No. 1 in money won in Zone 10 last year, where she also landed No. 4 nationally. On top of domestic competitions, Gottlieb joins the Cowgirls with experience in international competition. She claimed the silver medal in the 2022 Maccabi Games in Israel.
On the Western side, OSU brings in an even three Reining riders and three Horsemanship riders.
The Horsemanship signees are Sheridan Baringer of Edmonds, Wash., and a pair of North Dakota natives, Piper Anderson from West Fargo and Lily Thorpe from Oakes. Baringer is a multiple-time top 10 finisher at the AQHYA World Show. She's also secured top 10 placings at the All American Quarter Horse Congress. As a 13-and-under competitor, she brought home the bronze medal in the NSBA Horsemanship medal in 2019 and secured the same placement in Showmanship the same year. She spent last year as the director of the AQHYA, demonstrating quality leadership skills.
Anderson joins the Cowgirls as one of the most decorated prospects in the country. Most recently, she was crowned the 2023 AQHYA World Show Champion of Champions trail. Anderson has earned champion or reserve champion status at Congress five times, where twice she's landed on top. She's claimed the bronze medal in the NSBA World Show and placed on the podium three separate times at the Level One Championships.
Thorpe most recently earned a Big A circuit title in Level Three Showmanship in 2023. She had a successful 2022, highlighted by a bronze medal in the Nyatt Showmanship competition at Congress. As a youth in 2020, she claimed the NSBA yearend high point in Level One Horsemanship and the reserve high point in Level One Showmanship. She capped that impressive year as the reserve world champion in Level One Showmanship.
The Reining squad officially added Katie Ramsey and Faith Horner who were early verbal commits in November of last year. Ramsey, out of Sidney, Neb., is a two-time AQHYA World Show Level Three finalist and top-10 finisher at the NRHA World Standing. In 2022, Ramsey competed in the Tulsa Reining Classic and the North Central Affiliate, where she was the Non-Pro and Limited Non-Pro champion in both.
Horner is a native of Dallas, Texas, and is also a two-time AQHYA Bronze World Champion and has placed in the top 10 four times at the competition. Horner had a big 2023 season, highlighted by earning the South Central Affiliate Regional title in the Intermediate Non Pro and Limited Non Pro competitions. She was also the year end champion at the OKRHA Non Pro, Intermediate Non Pro and Limited Non Pro challenges. She's been an NRHA Derby finalist and a NRBC Derby finalist.
Ainsley Larcombe was OSU's most recent Reining commit and rounded out the signing day festivities. Larcombe had a productive 2023, finishing as a finalist in the NRHA Non Pro Derby and placing top-five in Level One and top-10 in Level Two. She also was the reserve champion at the History of Champions Non Pro Derby in Levels Two and Three. In 2022, she claimed the NRBC Limited Non Pro Circuit gold medal.
For more information on the Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.edu.
"I am very excited about our signing class this year," Sanchez said. "We have a lot of talent in this group, and I look forward to what they will bring to our team, both in and out of the arena, next fall."
OSU brings in five riders on Jumping Seat and six in Western, hailing from several parts of the country.
The Jumping Seat signees start with Reese Merna out of Mendham N.J., who was also the first Cowgirl of this class to verbally commit to the program when she was still a junior in high school. Merna has acquired several personal accolades in her time as a junior rider, highlighted by taking home first place in the USET at the Devon Horse Show, where she was the recipient of the Honey Craven Memorial Trophy. In national tournaments, she has a pair of top-five finishes in the WEC Equitation Championship and the Governor's Cup, along with a top 10 finish in the USHJA Gladstone Cup. Merna has also found success in team competitions as well as individual marks, as she's earned the gold medal in both at the Markel/USHJA Zone Jumper Championship.
Blake Rowan also joins the Cowgirls out of the east coast, hailing from Little Compton, R.I. Rowan has been on a hot streak in medal finals, as the winner of six straight Junior Equitation Medal finals spanning from 2017-23, also finishing top-five in the New England medal finals. In her first Grand Prix, Rowan placed in the top 10. As a WEF Circuit rider, she's earned reserve champion status in the Junior Hunters competition and won the Hunter Classic during WCHR week. In her career class, Rowan has five top-10 finishes in several competitions, highlighted by consecutive wins at the Kentucky Bluegrass Festival High Children's Classic.
Gable Gering, Madison Sanders and Harper Gottlieb joined the Cowgirls Jumping Seat squad from California. Gering most recently earned the gold medal in the 2023 ASPCA Maclay Region 8 Championship, as well as finishing in the top 12 at the USHJA Gladstone Cup and R.W. Mutch Championship this year.
Sanders has qualified and competed in several competitions as a junior rider. Most notably, she competed in the USEF Hunt Seat Medal Finals in 2022 and 2021, and qualified for the Maclay competition in 2022. As a younger rider, Sanders was a champion at the 14-and-under PCHA competition and placed top-four at the NHS Medal Final in 2020.
Gottlieb is a winner of the 1.25 Junior Jumper Grand Prix and the Low Junior Jumpers at the Las Vegas National. In team competitions, she helped win the 1.25 Zone Team Championship this year. She finished No. 1 in money won in Zone 10 last year, where she also landed No. 4 nationally. On top of domestic competitions, Gottlieb joins the Cowgirls with experience in international competition. She claimed the silver medal in the 2022 Maccabi Games in Israel.
On the Western side, OSU brings in an even three Reining riders and three Horsemanship riders.
The Horsemanship signees are Sheridan Baringer of Edmonds, Wash., and a pair of North Dakota natives, Piper Anderson from West Fargo and Lily Thorpe from Oakes. Baringer is a multiple-time top 10 finisher at the AQHYA World Show. She's also secured top 10 placings at the All American Quarter Horse Congress. As a 13-and-under competitor, she brought home the bronze medal in the NSBA Horsemanship medal in 2019 and secured the same placement in Showmanship the same year. She spent last year as the director of the AQHYA, demonstrating quality leadership skills.
Anderson joins the Cowgirls as one of the most decorated prospects in the country. Most recently, she was crowned the 2023 AQHYA World Show Champion of Champions trail. Anderson has earned champion or reserve champion status at Congress five times, where twice she's landed on top. She's claimed the bronze medal in the NSBA World Show and placed on the podium three separate times at the Level One Championships.
Thorpe most recently earned a Big A circuit title in Level Three Showmanship in 2023. She had a successful 2022, highlighted by a bronze medal in the Nyatt Showmanship competition at Congress. As a youth in 2020, she claimed the NSBA yearend high point in Level One Horsemanship and the reserve high point in Level One Showmanship. She capped that impressive year as the reserve world champion in Level One Showmanship.
The Reining squad officially added Katie Ramsey and Faith Horner who were early verbal commits in November of last year. Ramsey, out of Sidney, Neb., is a two-time AQHYA World Show Level Three finalist and top-10 finisher at the NRHA World Standing. In 2022, Ramsey competed in the Tulsa Reining Classic and the North Central Affiliate, where she was the Non-Pro and Limited Non-Pro champion in both.
Horner is a native of Dallas, Texas, and is also a two-time AQHYA Bronze World Champion and has placed in the top 10 four times at the competition. Horner had a big 2023 season, highlighted by earning the South Central Affiliate Regional title in the Intermediate Non Pro and Limited Non Pro competitions. She was also the year end champion at the OKRHA Non Pro, Intermediate Non Pro and Limited Non Pro challenges. She's been an NRHA Derby finalist and a NRBC Derby finalist.
Ainsley Larcombe was OSU's most recent Reining commit and rounded out the signing day festivities. Larcombe had a productive 2023, finishing as a finalist in the NRHA Non Pro Derby and placing top-five in Level One and top-10 in Level Two. She also was the reserve champion at the History of Champions Non Pro Derby in Levels Two and Three. In 2022, she claimed the NRBC Limited Non Pro Circuit gold medal.
For more information on the Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.edu.
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