Georgia Wins Battle of the Bulldogs, 16-3

Friday, October 22

Bishop, Ga.

2:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

Fresno State

October 22, 2021 | Equestrian

BISHOP, Ga. --- The No. 2 University of Georgia equestrian team defeated No. 7 Fresno State, 16-3, on a sunny Friday afternoon at the UGA Equestrian Complex.

Georgia riders took home three Most Outstanding Player honors. Sophomores Emma Reichow (Fences) and Sophia Pilla (Flat), as well as junior Caitlin Lyons (Reining) all earned the first MOP honors of their careers in Georgia's win.

"We enjoyed a great day out here with our Bulldogs," head coach Meghan Boenig said. "What a fun day to go out and compete. I'm really proud of how very few points we allowed today. There is so much to be proud of in these rides. We've got some more notches to be able to serve, we're really going to work the rest of the week as we're traveling to two really great competitors. This helps build confidence, this feels like we're capable because of these great scores and I think we're going to take today and multiply it."

Georgia (1-1, 0-1 SEC) jumped to a 4-1 lead in Fences. Leading off for the Bulldogs, junior Rachel McMullen scored an 88 to put UGA on the board early. Sophomore Isabelle Song and fifth-year senior Hayley Mairano followed, adding two more point for the Bulldogs with scores of 81 and 84, respectively. Sophomore Emma Reichow finished the event by matching her career-high score of 89 and earning her first MOP honor.

The Bulldogs added three points in Horsemanship. Seniors Kendall Gill and Sara Lewis claimed the first two points of the event after both riders scored a 76. Fresno State claimed the next point, before junior Gracie Himes beat her opponent by two points with a score of 74.5. Senior Taylor Burgess pushed her point with FSU's Alex Krebs with a tie score of 72.5.

Georgia held a 7-2 lead after two events.

Georgia swept all five points in Flat. Sophomore Jordan Toering led off with a score of 73.5 and junior Ceci Bresch was next with a score of 76. Mairano rode to an 81 on Franklin. Sophomore Nora Andrews defeated her opponent by a ten-point margin with a score of 73. In the anchor position, sophomore Sophia Pilla rode to the event-high score of 85 and collected MOP honors.

Competition concluded in Reining with Georgia winning four more points. Sophomore Sophie Lucas edged her opponent, 69-68, before Fresno State claimed the next point. The final three points of the day went to UGA with senior Lindsay Guynn riding to a 68 over her opponent's 65.5. Senior Courtney Blumer and junior Caitlin Lyons both rode to scores of 70 to win their points for the Bulldogs. Lyons earned her first MOP honor for her ride.

The Bulldogs are on the road next week for a pair of top-five matchups in Texas. Georgia will first face No. 5 Texas A&M on Friday, October 29 at 10 a.m. ET in College Station before heading to Dallas for a meet against No. 3 SMU on Saturday, October 30 at 11 a.m. ET.

HOW TO FOLLOW GEORGIA EQUESTRIAN: For complete information on Georgia equestrian, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGAEquestrian on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.