April 14, 2008

FRESNO, Calif. - As Fresno State prepares for the upcoming Varsity Equestrian National Championship meet in Waco, Texas, the Bulldogs enter the event with two top-10 nationally ranked teams.

After a strong regular season, the Bulldogs are looking to peak at the 2008 Varsity Equestrian National Championships to be hosted by Baylor University in Waco, Texas April 16-19. Fresno State's English and Western squads will join 11 other teams that qualified for the national championships.

The Dogs head into the national championships seeded No. 8 in English and No. 10 in Western. Dogs will take on New Mexico State in English on April 16 with the loser being eliminated and the winner advancing to face No. 1 Oklahoma State. The Bulldog Western squad opens with Auburn and should they win will face No. 2 Georgia.

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Wells Qualifies for VENC Fences
In addition to the two Bulldog teams competing for national championships, Lisa Wells will represent Fresno State in Equitation over Fences. Wells is the No. 3 ranked competitor in the nation. Only the top four individuals in each of four categories get to compete for an individual national championship. She will compete on Saturday, April 19, in a first-round match against South Carolina's Kristin Terebesi.

Familiar Foes
Fresno State will be taking on familiar competition in the first round of the 2008 Varsity Equestrian National Championships. The Dogs will take on WAC-rival New Mexico State in English. The Dogs and Aggies split their two matches this season, with NMSU winning six of 10 matches in Las Cruces to open the season back in October. In the most recent event, the Dogs won seven of eight matches to defeat the Aggies 7-1 on March 2. On the Western side, the Dogs will take on Auburn, a team they beat 5-3 on March 1.

Malmo Moment
Quotes from head coach Becky Malmo, who is in her fourth year as Fresno State's head coach: About this week: "I feel cautiously optimistic heading into the national championships. I like our first-round match-ups. We beat Auburn the one time we rode against them and we won seven matches against New Mexico State in the last match. It is really a pressure-packed environment because if you lose in the first round you are out. We are taking a lot of freshmen, but we have some really talented freshmen and I think they will be ready. We have some veterans who have been through the drill and they will help the younger women. We have spent time working with unfamiliar horses, which we've never done before and I think that will be a huge benefit. The team has been working hard and we are looking forward to the trip."

2008 Bulldog Line-up for the Varsity Equestrian National Championships
Equitation on the Flat: Lindsey Blair; Kelsey Bullock; Mallory Hames; Caitlin Marshall; Kirsten Sohns.
Equitation over Fences: Cambria Kissell; Jennifer Jory; Katie Nenneker; Tarynn Shada; Lisa Wells.
Western Horsemanship: Asheline Beeson; Rebecca Flood; Danielle Escover; Kelsi Fischer; Adriane Smith.
Reining: Keri Blackledge; Marybeth Brown; Shellie Dalluge; Jillian Tebbe, Elizabeth Thomasian

2008 Varsity Equestrian National Championship Ranking English Teams
1. Oklahoma State
2. Texas A&M
3. Georgia
4. South Carolina
5. Auburn
6. Baylor
7. Kansas State
8. Fresno State
9. New Mexico State
10. Delaware State
11. Tennessee-Martin
12. Stephen F. Austin

Western Teams
1. Texas Christian
2. Georgia
3. Oklahoma State
4. Texas A&M
5. Kansas State
6. South Carolina
7. Auburn
8. New Mexico State
9. Baylor
10. Fresno State
11. Stephen F. Austin
12. Tennessee-Martin

Individual Championships Equitation over Fences
1.Nicile Brown, Baylor
2. Kristin Terebesi, South Carolina
3. Lisa Wells, Fresno State
4. Ally Blais, Oklahoma State

Follow the Varsity Equestrian National Championships at:

http://baylorbears.cstv.com/sports/w-equest/spec-rel/08-w-equest-natl-champ.html

"Join the State - Fresno State! For more information about the Bulldog Equestrian program, log on to gobulldogs.com.