Golden Eagles Put Together Great Rides To Claim Several Honors in Sunday’s Show at Wisconsin-River Falls
-RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The University of Minnesota Crookston hunt seat equestrian team competed in a pair of shows at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Sat., Nov. 10 and Sun., Nov. 11 in River Falls, Wis. The Golden Eagles won Reserve High Point Team honors Sunday, along with Kayley Melton (Fr., Yuma, Ariz.) picking up High Point rider honors during Sunday’s show, and Kristina Schroeder (Jr., Mankato, Minn.) taking Reserve High Point rider accolades Saturday.
Saturday’s competition opened up with Mazie Pini (Sr., Grayslake, Ill.) claiming second place in Open Equitation over Fences, while Rachel Johnson (So., Stillwater, Minn.) took sixth. Melton claimed a solid second-place finish in Intermediate Fences, while Schroeder made her Novice Fences debut, placing fourth in a very large class.
The Golden Eagles dominated the Open Equitation on the Flat, with Johnson winning her class, followed by Selena Young (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.), who finished second, and Melton taking fifth. Schroeder rocked her section of Novice Flat by bringing home another win. Sarah Cartier (So., Woodbury, Minn.) and Ellie Waagen (So., Bottineau, N.D.) competed in the same section for Novice Flat. Waagen took home a solid second place, while Cartier was fifth.
In Advanced Walk/Trot/Canter, Katherine Buttolph (Fr., Yankton, S.D.) took fourth. Katie Orth (Fr., Randall, Minn.) led the way with a third-place finish in Beginner Walk/Trot/Canter, while Amanda Olson (So., Winsted, Minn.) took fourth, and Britney Myers (Jr., Cottage Grove, Minn.) placed fifth.
In Walk/Trot, Rebecca Eichhorn (Fr., West Bend, Wis.) rounded out the day with a well-deserved second-place finish.
“Overall team points did not fall in our favor for Saturday’s competition,” said Head Coach Kayla Krueger. “However, we had individual riders ride exceptionally well. We had much improvement from our first competition of the year. The girls have worked hard to fine-tune their skills in practice the last couple of weeks. These efforts are really starting to show and I could not be more proud.”
The Minnesota Crookston Open Fences riders stole the start of Sunday’s show with their strong performances. Pini brought home the win in a very competitive Open Fences class. Young followed her by placing third, while Johnson took fourth.
In Intermediate Fences, Melton rocked her ride with yet another win for the Golden Eagles. In Novice Fences, Taylor Barlage (Fr., New Prague, Minn.) found her rhythm with a beautiful round to place third.
The Open Equitation on the Flat riders continued to set the bar high with Melton bringing home the win, followed by Pini in third.
In Novice Flat, the riders experienced some challenges with tough draws. Sierra Coons (Jr., Donnybrook, N.D.) finished third, while Barlage and Cartier took fifth in their respective sections.
In Advanced Walk/Trot/Canter, Buttolph finished fifth, while Emma Howey (Sr., Rutland, N.D.) also took fifth in her section.
In Beginner Walk/Trot/Canter Olson took fourth. In Walk/Trot, the Golden Eagles rounded out the day with two great rides. Eichhorn finished with yet another second, while Anna Woidyla (Fr., Swanville, Minn.) also took second in her section.
“This team really came together Sunday to rally in the points” Krueger said. “Overall team points fell in our favor finishing with Reserve High Point Team honors. All in all, this team has gelled in so many ways. They push, encourage, and support each other to the fullest and I could not be more proud. We started the season a little rocky, more than I would have liked, but are on course to make a comeback.”
The Golden Eagles return home Feb. 2 and 3 for a pair of home shows at the University Teaching and Outreach Center.
