2008 Woodie Awards
Equestrians come up short against defending national champs
Jason Bohanan
Issue date: 2/27/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
Try as they might, the Skyhawk women's equestrian team couldn't ride shotgun with the Auburn Tigers Sunday.
UTM's newest varsity team lost 13-4 to the defending national champion Tigers in the program's first head-to-head competition on the road.
"Some of the scores across horses were pretty close. For our first time out I'm sure we did a good job," head coach Meghan Cunningham said.
"Our mental mistakes are the difference between winning and losing right now. It's the little things we need to fix."
Individually, freshman Michelle Thompson, a hunt seat rider from Winter Haven, Fla., was named MVP for the equestrian over fences contest.
"I could have done better, I think, but I'm not upset. We had some mistakes but we were still competitive and it gave us a chance to see what we need to work on," Thompson said.
Senior Virginia Kruckenberg won the equitation on the flat contest, while junior Emily Parker and sophomore Amanda Weedon won horsemanship contests.
"I think for our first year we're doing really well considering the teams we're going against are seasoned veterans," Weedon said. "In horsemanship I was happy with my maneuvers."
Riders' scores were compared only with their competitor on the same horse, with the rider with the highest score receiving one point. Riders were judged on four events in two categories, hunt seat, or English, and western.
The hunt seat category included the hunt seat equitation contest, which tests riders' form and ability, and the equitation over fences contest, which features predetermined over-fence maneuvers. The western category included the horsemanship contest, which is similar to hunt seat equitation, and the reigning contest, which tests riders in stopping, sliding and spinning.
Judges for the hunt seat category were from the U.S. Equestrian Foundation, while western category judges represented the American Quarter Horse Association.
Despite the Skyhawks' limited success Sunday, Cunningham likes how the team has progressed.
"I'm very pleased with our performances. We're staying competitive and we're really ahead of the game," Cunningham said.
"Each year we'll recruit and get better and better and better. It's the little mistakes that keep us from being on the winning side."
The team's next competition is this weekend in Fresno, Calif., where they will face Fresno State, Southern Methodist, Texas Christian and South Dakota State.
UTM's newest varsity team lost 13-4 to the defending national champion Tigers in the program's first head-to-head competition on the road.
"Some of the scores across horses were pretty close. For our first time out I'm sure we did a good job," head coach Meghan Cunningham said.
"Our mental mistakes are the difference between winning and losing right now. It's the little things we need to fix."
Individually, freshman Michelle Thompson, a hunt seat rider from Winter Haven, Fla., was named MVP for the equestrian over fences contest.
"I could have done better, I think, but I'm not upset. We had some mistakes but we were still competitive and it gave us a chance to see what we need to work on," Thompson said.
Senior Virginia Kruckenberg won the equitation on the flat contest, while junior Emily Parker and sophomore Amanda Weedon won horsemanship contests.
"I think for our first year we're doing really well considering the teams we're going against are seasoned veterans," Weedon said. "In horsemanship I was happy with my maneuvers."
Riders' scores were compared only with their competitor on the same horse, with the rider with the highest score receiving one point. Riders were judged on four events in two categories, hunt seat, or English, and western.
The hunt seat category included the hunt seat equitation contest, which tests riders' form and ability, and the equitation over fences contest, which features predetermined over-fence maneuvers. The western category included the horsemanship contest, which is similar to hunt seat equitation, and the reigning contest, which tests riders in stopping, sliding and spinning.
Judges for the hunt seat category were from the U.S. Equestrian Foundation, while western category judges represented the American Quarter Horse Association.
Despite the Skyhawks' limited success Sunday, Cunningham likes how the team has progressed.
"I'm very pleased with our performances. We're staying competitive and we're really ahead of the game," Cunningham said.
"Each year we'll recruit and get better and better and better. It's the little mistakes that keep us from being on the winning side."
The team's next competition is this weekend in Fresno, Calif., where they will face Fresno State, Southern Methodist, Texas Christian and South Dakota State.
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