No. 9 Baylor Equestrian Crushes No. 8 Fresno State, 16-4, For Third Place

STILLWATER, Okla. – No. 9 Baylor equestrian (6-9) made a statement in what could be its final meet of the season with a dominating 16-4 win over No. 8 Fresno State (3-9) in Saturday’s consolation meet of the Big 12 Championship.

After capturing a 7-3 first-half lead in Flat and Reining, the Bears continued their momentum in Fences and Horsemanship to cruise past the Bulldogs with an overwhelming 9-1 second half.

Jumping Seat senior Dominika Silvestri became the first Bear in the program’s recorded history to collect 13 Flat wins, with her 237-217 win in the event. Silvestri was the only Bear to go 4-0 on the weekend between her two events, while freshman Lauren Jorgensen (Fences), sophomore Alexis Rutledge (Horsemanship), senior Gabrielle Marty (Horsemanship) and senior Jenna Meimerstorf (Reining) all went 2-0 in their respective events.

BU now awaits its final seeding to see if it qualifies for the 2023 National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) Championship. The top eight teams in the country will travel to Ocala, Fla. for the April 13-15 competition. Final rankings will be announced on Tuesday, March 28.

THE RUNDOWN

The morning began with a 4-1 win for the Bears in Flat, as Madison Mitchell (243), Lauren Reid (226), Silvestri (237) and Maddie Vorhies (237) brought home the points for BU. Collectively, Baylor’s Flat squad out-rode its opponents by nearly a nine-point margin.

Then, Madaline Callaway (213), Daisy Kaufman (208) and Jenna Meimerstorf (219.5) extended the lead by helping Reining to a 3-2 event win.

Following a short break, action resumed in the covered arena with a 4-1 victory from Fences. Jorgensen (233), Mitchell (235), Reid (229) and Silvestri (261) each won their points to increase Baylor’s overall lead to 11-4.

To close it out, Horsemanship dominated with a clean sweep of the Bulldogs for its first 5-0 win of the season. Marley Mainwaring (218), Marty (222), Elsie Naruszewicz (225.5), Rutledge (217) and Nadalee Vasquez (223.5) sealed the win and a third-place finish for the Bears.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Baylor took third place at the Big 12 Championship for the third season in a row.
• BU won all four events for the third time in a single meet this season.
• The Bears swept Horsemanship for the second time this year. It was Horsemanship’s first 5-0 sweep since Feb. 18, 2022, against South Carolina.
• BU’s Flat squad recorded its 10th win of the season.
• Jumping Seat senior Dominika Silvestri became the first Bear in the program’s recorded history to collect 13 wins in Flat.
• Silvestri also went 4-0 on the weekend between Fences and Flat.
• Freshmen Lauren Jorgensen and Lauren Reid each went 2-0 on the weekend in Fences.
• Sophomore Alexis Rutledge and senior Gabrielle Marty each went 2-0 on the weekend in Horsemanship.
• Senior Jenna Meimerstorf went 2-0 on the weekend in Reining.

STAT OF THE MEET

13 – Senior Dominika Silvestri collected her 13th Flat win of the season – the most by a Bear in the program’s recorded history.

QUOTABLE

Head coach Casie Maxwell

On today’s win…

“I thought today they really rode like the team they’re capable of. They were fabulous! They didn’t make the errors and didn’t override in some places that got them in trouble yesterday, but they rode extremely confident, very poised, and had clear minds going out there. That’s why they were successful. It’s been a challenge to have them find that rhythm every week, but they certainly found it today.”

Jumping Seat senior Dominika Silvestri

On her undefeated weekend and 13th Flat win of the season…

“It feels really good to be so consistent. We’ve had a really great Flat squad all year and to be able to be a part of that has been something special, so I’m glad to end it on a great note this weekend.”

WHAT’S NEXT

Following this weekend’s competition, Baylor (6-9) awaits its final NCEA ranking to potentially punch its ticket to Ocala, Fla. for the NCEA National Championship. Nationals competition is set to start Thursday, April 13 and extend through Saturday, April 15. Final seedings will be announced on Tuesday, March 28.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor equestrian, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorEQ.