Texas A&M
Baylor
Baylor Snaps Aggie Riders' 14-Match Home Win Streak
Feb 07, 2009 | Equestrian
Feb. 7, 2009
BRYAN - The second-ranked Texas A&M equestrian team dropped its first home match in more than two years, 13-10, to fourth-ranked Baylor on Saturday at the Brazos County Expo Complex.
The Aggies (5-3) battled hard all day, earning a win in horsemanship and riding to ties in both equitation over fences and reining but it wasn't enough to stave off a Baylor (9-2) squad that has now won four straight contests. A&M did manage to pull out a 6-5 win in the western competition, moving that group's record to an impressive 6-1.
"We're in a little bit of a rut right now but we are getting closer and closer to breaking out of it," A&M head coach Tana McKay said. "Each loss has been much closer than the one before it. We did earn a win or tie in three of the four disciplines so we aren't that far off. This is a good team we faced today. Baylor is one of the hottest teams in the country right now. Credit them for coming in here and pulling out a victory."
For the second straight week, A&M's horsemanship group helped lead the way despite an overall defeat. The Aggies captured a 3-2 victory in horsemanship on the backs of two freshmen and one highly decorated veteran.
Reigning horsemanship national champion Caroline Gunn (Greensburg, Ind.) rolled to a 77.5-75 most valuable rider-winning performance over Baylor junior Lindsey Tomko. Gunn's MVP honor is her fourth in seven contests as well as her third in the last four times in the ring.
Freshman Katie Lisabeth (Canton, Ga.) continued to impress as she upped her seasonal mark to 4-1 with a 75.5-74 victory over Bear senior Nicole McCoy while fellow frosh Kelsey Adams (Colleyville) took full advantage of her first time in the limelight, earning a 74-66.5 win over Baylor freshman Suzanna Nelson.
The Aggie reining group tied with Baylor 3-3, but did manage to out-point the Bears, 422.5-420 on raw score tiebreaker.
Sophomore Tara Christiansen (Snohomish, Wash.) continued to be untouchable, improving her perfect record to 7-0 with a 70-69 win over Bear sophomore and fellow Washingtonian Katie Buss. Sophomore Randi Standley (Madisonville) improved her reining mark to 3-1 with a 71.5-66 win over Baylor junior Valtie Riddle while freshman Abigail Grabein (Houston) won the first match of her collegiate career, 72-68, over Bear senior Kim Marlowe.
A&M's fences group took a step forward after last week loss in South Carolina, tying the Bears at three wins each on Saturday.
Junior co-captain Lindsay Smith (West Friendship, Md.), the only Aggie to win over fences last week, made it two wins in a row thanks to an 82-71 win over Baylor junior Heather Healy. Sophomore Brooke Coleman (Houston) snapped a three-match losing steak with a 78-68 victory over Bear freshman Kara Fergusson. Freshman Maggie Earle (Fallbrook, Calif.) earned the second win of her collegiate career with a 77-75 win over Baylor veteran Mary Smitson.
The Aggies earned only one win in equitation on the flat, but the rider responsible made that one win count for a little something extra. Senior Tegan Zealy (Tampa, Fla.) won the first most valuable rider of her career thanks to an 81-67 win over Baylor sophomore Kendra Vicary.
The Aggies will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 20, in College Station when they host the Kansas State Wildcats at 10 a.m. at the Brazos County Expo Complex.
Players Mentioned
