JACKRABBITS ADVANCE IN ECAC CHAMPIONSHIP

Thursday, March 23

Brookings, S.D.

8 a.m.

South Dakota State University

Minnesota Crookston

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

3/23/2023 7:58:00 PM | Equestrian

South Dakota State rode to a sweep in flat and opened the ECAC Equestrian Championship with a 13-3 victory over Minnesota Crookston Thursday at the DeHaan Equestrian Center.

The fourth-seeded Jackrabbits improved to 4-7 in head-to-head competition this season and earned the right to take on top-seeded UT Martin in the tournament semifinals.

SDSU held 3-1 advantages in fences, horsemanship and reining before closing out the meet by winning all four matchups in flat. The Jackrabbits also claimed all four Most Outstanding Performer honors.

Ella Domenicone earned MOP honors in fences with a high score of 159 (79-80) to win her head-to-head matchup against Gabriella Siefkes by 21 points. Rachel Darby (155) and Julia Werkhoven (153) were SDSU's other winners in fences.

Werkhoven paced the Jackrabbit sweep in flat with a score of 151 en route to being selected as MOP, while Darby notched her second win of the day with a score of 136. Hannah Steele (146) and Samantha Hunsecker (136) completed the four-point effort in flat.

In the Western events, SDSU received point-producing performances from six different riders. Callyn Fox earned MOP recognition in horsemanship with a top score of 148, and was joined on the winning side of the ledger in the event by Shelby Cochran (144.5) and Annika Hanson (141.5).

Isabelle Riggs led SDSU's reining crew with a score of 142 to receive MOP honors and pick up a point. Lydia Loken (134.5) and Cassandra Townsend (132) also won their head-to-head reining matchups.

vs. UT Martin
The Jackrabbits and UT Martin completed the flat portion of their head-to-head semifinal competition later Thursday afternoon, with SDSU taking a 3-2 lead.

After the Skyhawks claimed the first two points, SDSU reeled off three consecutive wins, highlighted by Steele's event-high 144. Darby tallied another point with a score of 143, following Hunsecker notching the first Jackrabbit point with a score of 109.

Competition resumes at 8:45 a.m. Friday

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 13, MINNESOTA CROOKSTON 3
Fences
Rachel Darby (SDSU) def. Alex Pfaffenbach (UMC), 155-151 [Fendi]
Keira Boedigheimer (UMC) def. Samantha Hunsecker (SDSU), 144-143 [Joey]
Julia Werkhoven (SDSU) def. Juliana Gullo (UMC), 153-85 [Archie]
*Ella Domenicone (SDSU) def. Gabriella Siefkes (UMC), 159-138 [Elliot]
Flat
Rachel Darby (SDSU) def. Juliana Gullo (UMC), 136-121 [Sweet Pea]
Samantha Hunsecker (SDSU) def. Alex Pfaffenbach (UMC), 136-127 [Mia]
*Julia Werkhoven (SDSU) def. Gabriella Siefkes (UMC), 151-112 [Ozzie]
Hannah Steele (SDSU) def. Keira Boedigheimer (UMC), 146-138 [Enrique]
Horsemanship
Olivia Becker (UMC) def. Paige Wellendorf (SDSU), 139-133 [Milo]
*Callyn Fox (SDSU) def. Rebecca Clark (UMC), 148-141 [George]
Shelby Cochran (SDSU) def. Ashlyn Montague (UMC), 144.5-140 [Mick]
Annika Hanson (SDSU) def. Belle Sand (UMC), 141.5-124.5 [Hooch]
Reining
Olivia Becker (UMC) def. Adisyn Kuxhaus (SDSU), 135.5-132 [AR]
*Isabelle Riggs (SDSU) def. Belle Sand (UMC), 142-135.5 [Clyde]
Cassandra Townsend (SDSU) def. RaeAnna Danielson (UMC), 132-0 [Bunny]
Lydia Loken (SDSU) def. Ashlyn Montague (UMC), 134.5-125.5 [Aggie]

*Most Outstanding Performer

-GoJacks.com-