Feb. 28, 2008

FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State concludes its home schedule this weekend by hosting Auburn and WAC-rival New Mexico State. The Dogs will take on the Tigers beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday and then hosts the Aggies Sunday at 9 a.m. Auburn and New Mexico State will also hold a dual meet over the weekend. The events will be held at the Student Horse Center on campus and admission is free.

Senior Salute
Becky Malmo and the Bulldogs will say farewell to six talented seniors who will be making their final home appearance this weekend. The seniors are:

Heather Billings (Squaw Valley, Calif.)
Marybeth Brown (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Sarah Dowlearn (South El Monte, Calif.
Juliana Person (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
Kirsten Sohns (Mesa, Calif.)
Nicole Williams (Fresno, Calif.)

New Ring Added at Student Horse Center
Some improvements have been made to the Fresno State equestrian complex and the Dogs will be using two rings for competition. According to head coach, Becky Malmo the dual rings will allow for a more time efficient and fan friendly event. All Western events will be conducted on one ring, while sumultainously the English events can be held in the adjacent ring.

Dogs win Best of the West
Fresno State defended its' team championship in the annual Best of the West Tournament held last weekend at the Student Horse Center. The Dogs defeated Delaware State in the opening round and then beat a solid TCU team 7-4 in the finals. Kelsey Bullock and Lisa Wells earned MVP honors in the title match in Flat and Fences, respectively. Cambria Kissell scored an 89 in Fences against Delaware State in the opening round match.

Looking Ahead
The Dogs head to Big 12 country to take on Kansas State and Oklahoma State March 14-15. That will conclude the regular season. Fresno State will then wait until April 16 and the Varsity Equestrian Championships in Waco, Texas.

Malmo Moment
Quotes from head coach Becky Malmo, who is in her fourth year as Fresno State's head coach: About this week: "Right now our English team continues to be very strong. We are unofficially right around No. 4 in the nation based on our results. We are getting some really excellent performances from our usual cast including Katie Nenneker, Lisa Well, Cambria Kissell and Kirsten Sohns. They are really performing at a high level. Our western group has shown the ability to score well but we have not been as consistent. Keri Blackledge and Rebecca Flood continue to be brilliant. Jill Tebbe, a freshman in reining, is really doing well. We are excited to host New Mexico State and Auburn. We have a great WAC rivalry going with New Mexico State and since we lost there earlier this year, we are looking forward to competing against them. Auburn is a new team for us. We are thrilled to have them in Fresno and looking forward to traveling there next season."

"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The Fresno State equestrian team is home in the Student Horse Center on March 1 vs. Auburn and March 2 vs. New Mexico State. Come see competitions in both English and Western style riding. Bulldog fans receive free admission to all home events.