The No. 10 Georgia equestrian team earned its first win of the season with a 13-6 victory to upset No. 5 Oklahoma State at the UGA Equestrian Complex on Saturday.
The meet served as the team’s “Pink Meet” with the Bulldogs dedicating their rides to those affected by cancer. The Bulldogs swept Most Outstanding Performance honors with Maddy Darst (Equitation Over Fences), Ali Tritschler (Equitation on the Flat), Graysen Stroud (Horsemanship), and Julia Spreng (Reining) being recognized for their rides.
“It’s a great feeling,” Georgia head coach Meghan Boenig said after the win. “We needed to get out here and compete at home. We had a lot of confident rides and a lot of good rides. A lot of tricky things happened and the riders still pulled through for us. What was so wonderful, really, was seeing the teamwork happen. It was us getting to show everyone together and this win is not just about the people that rode today, it’s everyone behind the scenes too and that feels really special.”
Georgia held a slight advantage after Equitation Over Fences, earning three points. Senior captain Emma Mandarino led off for the Bulldogs riding to an event-high score of 87 over OSU’s Katie Schell’s 81. Junior Maddy Darst earned the next point for Georgia with an 84-73 victory. Junior Ali Tritschler earned the final Bulldog point of the event with a score of 80 to defeat Cassidy Wilbourn’s 76.
Georgia extended its lead in Horsemanship, winning the event 3-2. OSU took the first point before UGA won the next three. Lila Owens defeated Maddie Bender, 74.5-72.5, before Lexie Lane bested her opponent, 76-57.5. Senior captain Graysen Stroud rode to an event-high 78 over Harley Huff’s 76.5. The Cowgirls won the final point of the event.
The Bulldogs secured the win over the Cowgirls in Equitation on the Flat, adding four points. Sophomore Hayley Mairano rode to a score of 83 to better OSU’s Abigail Brayman’s 76. Maddy Darst pushed her point with a tie score of 78, before the Bulldogs grabbed another point with an 83-77 win from Madison Newman. Ali Tritschler and Grace Bridges claimed the final two points of the event with scores of 82 and 78, respectively.
Georgia added three points in Reining. The Cowgirls won the first two points of the event before junior Julia Spreng edged her opponent, 70.5-70 to claim a point for the Bulldogs. Jordan Carpenter added a point for Georgia with a score of 72. With the final ride of the day, Graysen Stroud was granted a re-ride before scoring a 71 to secure the point.