Cowgirl Equestrian Returns to Big 12 Title Meet

Friday, March 29

Waco, TX

10 a.m.

Oklahoma State University

Fresno State

March 29, 2024 | Cowgirl Equestrian

Complete Box Score (PDF)

WACO, Texas – Oklahoma State's second-seeded equestrian team handled fourth-seeded Fresno State, 14-7, Friday in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship to earn a spot in Saturday's title meet in Waco.

With its victory, OSU has now advanced to the final round for the eighth-straight season and will face top-seeded TCU Saturday afternoon. The Cowgirls and Horned Frogs will face off for the conference title for a fourth consecutive season.

The win improved OSU to 7-6 on the season and 5-2 against conference opponents. The Cowgirls and coach Larry Sanchez have locked up a winning conference record for the fifth-straight season.

"The girls certainly made an impression today in the semifinals," Sanchez said. "They are riding confidently right now, and it is the right time of year for that. TCU is very talented, so we'll need to continue this level of riding in the finals tomorrow."

The Cowgirls once again had a strong first half that propelled them to the win. OSU entered the first half with an 8-2 advantage and rode it for an additional six points.

Scores were based on the average score of three judges.

With the two meets working interchangeably, OSU's day started with Reining where the Cowgirls claimed a 4-1 advantage. Abby Budd led the charge with a meet-high 72.17 average score, with the third judge awarding her a 73. Her average score serves as the fifth-highest among all Cowgirls this season.

Budd, as well as Ava Bush and Emma Filiatreau, made their Big 12 tournament debuts with wins. Bush scored the second point of the day, while Filiatreau scored the fourth point. Tristan Bagby scored the other point for the Cowgirls in the event, winning 70.33-69. Filiatreau and Bagby scored their respective eighth wins of the season.

OSU's Jumping Seat side continued the team's momentum with Fences, earning another 4-1 advantage. The Cowgirls scored four points in multiple events for the third time this season. OSU's Fences squad has outscored its opponents 35-27 on the season, which leads all OSU events this year. It's the eighth time this season that the Fences squad has claimed the team advantage.

Sydney North scored a meet-high 87.67, the fifth-highest in the event for the Cowgirls this season. Her score topped all other scores by six points. She has two of the five highest scores in Fences this season as she improved to 8-4-1.

Grace McReynolds continued her dominant spring season with her sixth-straight victory in Fences. She had the second greatest score of the event with 81.67 and earned her seventh win of the season. Her and North were the only competitors who exceeded the 80-point mark in the event.

Riley Hogan and Bella Holway scored the other two points for the Cowgirls with a pair of 76-point performances.

The meet proceeded with Horsemanship, where the OSU dropped its only team score by a 3-2 margin. Claire McDowall and June Roberson claimed the two points, with Roberson earning a meet-high 76.17. McDowall earned her 10^th win of the season for her second consecutive double-digit win season.

The Flat group rounded out the day with OSU's third 4-1 group victory of the day. Hannah Dodd remained undefeated in her career with her sixth victory of the season as she posted a score of 82.67

McReynolds was the fourth Cowgirl to lead an event in scoring for the day, with a season-high 88.33 finish. The third judge awarded her a 93, which would have served as a program record.

Hogan and North added the other two points for the event. Hogans two wins on the day are her 39^th and 40^th win of her career. She's now four wins outside of the top 10 of OSU's leaderboard since 2012.

The Big 12 title meet is tentatively scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday but will take place once the consolation meet between Fresno State and Baylor concludes.

OSU sets its sights on its 10^th conference title and fourth in a row, a feat never accomplished by a Big 12 equestrian team.

For more information on the Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.com.