The Baylor equestrian team (9-2, 3-1 Big 12), competing in its first competition since taking over the No. 1 rank in the national poll, swept every event in a dominating win over the No. 4 Oklahoma State Cowgirls (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) on Saturday afternoon at the Willis Family Equestrian Center.
With a 15-4 win, the Bears handed OSU its largest margin of defeat in its program history.
Running in both the covered and the Western arenas simultaneously, the competition opened with fences and reining.
In fences, the Bears scored first and never relinquished that lead. Alicia Gasser, Savannah Jenkins, Kelsie Brittan, and Shannon Hogue all recorded points for BU, with Gasser’s 78 earning the first of three Most Outstanding Performance (MOP) honors.
In reining, Maddison Smith, Elizabeth Shank, and Georgia Smith snagged points for BU, giving the Bears a 7-3 lead at the break.
After the changeover, BU built even more momentum. On the flat, Rachel Van Allen, Brittney Mirkov, Sam Howell, and Gasser all took their points, while Jenkins fought out to a tie. While four of the Bears scored 85+, including exhibition rider, Sam Matthews, it was Mirkov’s 86 that earned the MOP nod.
In horsemanship, the Bears pounded out a 4-1 advantage, with Aspen Crew, Charlotte Green, Kelsie Holman, and Abbi Demel all logging points and Green’s 74 picking up the MOP recognition.
HIGHIGHTS
The win over No. 4 Oklahoma State marks Baylor’s 26th-straight regular season home win.
Baylor’s 11-point win over the Cowgirls marked the largest margin of defeat in OSU program history, topping the previous high mark of 10, also scored by Baylor, on March 26, 2010.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Bears head to Fresno, Calif., to participate in the Fresno Invitational on Feb. 17-18, going head-to-head with SMU and Fresno State.
