University of Georgia
New Mexico State
Bulldog Riders Cruise to 15-1 Win over NMSU
February 26, 2011 | Equestrian
Feb. 26, 2011
Final Scoresheet in PDF Format
BISHOP, Ga. ----- Third-ranked Georgia claimed a shutout win in the Hunt Seat competition, won all four MVP awards and cruised to a 15-1 victory over No. 10 New Mexico State in the first day of the inaugural Bulldog Invitational here Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs on Sunday will face Tennessee-Martin, which defeated South Dakota State 11-4 in the other first-round matchup. New Mexico State will take on SDSU in the other half of the second-round competition, which begins at 10:00 a.m. Sunday at the UGA Equestrian Complex.
Georgia got a clean 4-0 sweep in the Equitation over Fences, as well as a 3-1 victory in Western Horsemanship to start the day. Senior Kacy Jenkins led the way in Fences with a 6-point decision and an MVP award. On the Horsemanship side, Katelyn Van Allen picked up MVP honors in taking a 6.5-point margin of victory.
"I think it was a solid performance all through today," Georgia coach Meghan Boenig said. "What I really loved was the way we worked together as a team. Today was really about teamwork and that was reflected not only in the 15 point win, but also in the way the show ran, the efficiency and attention to detail. I'm very proud of them."
Other Bulldog winners in the morning half of the competition included Grace Rogers, Michelle Morris and Abby O'Mara in the Fences event. Horsemanship winners in addition to Van Allen included Maria Salazar and Anna Sasser.
Proceedings took a midway break for Georgia's annual Senior Day recognition ceremony, when the Bulldogs' nine outgoing seniors were celebrated for their numerous contributions. "The senior ceremony was very emotional, Boenig said. "They are a great group of young ladies. This group has the ability to set quite a precedent for all the rest to follow. They're extremely successful in competition, whether that be in SEC or at Nationals, but they've also been such hard workers and real role models for the ladies underneath them. We'll be very sad to see them go."
Georgia continued its domination of the Aggies in the afternoon session. Sophomore Grace Rogers won MVP in the Flat event by taking a 13-point victory that followed Flat wins by teammates Carly Anthony, Olivia Dorey and Melanie Carraway.
The Bulldogs finished off their victory with a 4-0 sweep in the Reining event, led by sophomore Becca Haaland, who claimed her second straight MVP award. Other winners included seniors Diandra St. Hilaire and Hannah Dyer, as well as freshman Jacklyn Hoyt.
