TCU Guts Out Win at UC Davis to Secure First 9-1 Record in Program History

Saturday, February 11

Davis, CA

Noon

TCU

UC Davis

TCU Guts Out Win at UC Davis to Secure First 9-1 Record in Program History

2/11/2023 5:50:00 PM | Equestrian

Horned Frogs outlasted the Aggies 11-9

DAVIS, California – California is tucked two time zones west of Fort Worth, though No. 2 TCU equestrian ought to give serious consideration to adopting the Golden State as its home away from home.

Or, at a minimum, invest in a second residence.

The Horned Frogs polished off a back-to-back slate in the Bear Flag Republic with a hard-fought 11-9 victory over UC Davis on Saturday. The win was 24 hours removed from a 15-4 walloping of No. 9 Fresno State.

TCU garnered its sixth straight victory and ninth in 10 outings this season with the performance. The 9-1 start to a season is the best in the 15-year history of the program.

The Horned Frogs breezed past the Aggies 15-5 on Nov. 11 in Burleson in the first meeting between the programs. Road meets are never a gimmie, however. And the adage held true in the rematch.

The meet featured multiple re-rides in Western and was not decided until the afternoon's final event; reining.

UC Davis edged the Horned Frogs 5-4 in Jumping Seat. Western - a discipline TCU is undefeated in in 2022-2023 - proved decisive. TCU collected seven points to the Aggies' three to preserve the win.

TCU raced ahead to an 8-2 lead at the half. The Horned Frogs eased their way to 4-1 victories in Fences and Horsemanship. UC Davis, though, turned the match on its ear following the intermission, posting a 5-0 sweep to trim the Horned Frogs' lead to one. The result sat in limbo entering reining.

But TCU's prowess in Western was on display once more. The Horned Frogs squeaked by the Aggies 3-2 in reining to clinch the victory.

Fences

TCU quickly asserted control in the morning's first event. Isabella Baxter, Sydney Berube Ella Bostwick and Ashleigh Scully all received scores of 82-or-better to stake the Horned Frogs to a 4-1 lead.

Berube picked up TCU's first point of the meet, as she bettered the Aggies' Keely Laughlin 84-77.

Scully soon propelled TCU to a 2-0 head start. The junior, whose 2022-2023 overall record now stands at 17-2, scored an 83-80 win over Sierra Gunderson, the Aggies' high scorer.

Baxter's ride was tops among the 10 competitors. A two-time Fences All-American, Baxter was awarded 85 points on her way to a six-point triumph over Carly Sweeney.

Baxter, Berube and Scully have all won four consecutive duals. Bostwick has been in the winner's circle in two of her last three outings.

TCU outscored the Aggies 412-395 on its way to its sixth straight Fences win.

Horsemanship

The Horned Frogs then took an 8-2 lead into the intermission – their third straight – via a 4-1 takedown of the Aggies in Horsemanship.

The event's final tally was comfortably in favor of TCU, though the process to decide the final outcome was hardly seamless.

A total of four re-rides were issued, leaving the end result in doubt and prompting a lengthy delay.

Regardless, the Horned Frogs rolled with the commotion and to their eighth Horsemanship victory in 2022-2023.

UC Davis' Jordan Schween clipped Shea Graham by the slimmest of margins, 77.5-77, to cut the Horned Frogs' overall lead in half. But from there, it was all TCU.

Payton Boutelle matched the All-American Graham's score to down Maddie Gregory 77-70.5 and firmly swing the pendulum back in favor of the Horned Frogs.

Giorgia Meadows and Mattie Dukes each capitalized on re-rides to clinch the event. Meadows was awarded a score of 76 while Dukes checked in with a 74.5-point effort to defeat Kendall Lance and Natasha Repogle.

Fellow All-American Jessica McAllister scored a 74.5-73.5 victory over Gracie Howell to close the show.

Dukes now sports a team-leading 9-1 Horsemanship record. Meadows swelled her season mark to 8-2. Boutelle has now rattled off six straight wins.

Flat

UC Davis punched back to throw what appeared to be rollover win in doubt. The Aggies swept all five rides in Flat to cut the Horned Frogs lead down to one at 8-7 and render a decisive reining battle.

Sydnie Young received a team-high 79 points. Laurel Smith and Wynne Weatherly rode to scores of 73 and 72, respectively. Scully was awarded a score of 68 while Victoria Zahorik tallied 67 points.

Reining

Needing three points to win, TCU's reining quintet delivered.

The Horned Frogs trotted out a lineup featuring Maddy Buchanan, Dukes, Graham, McAllister and Meadows.

Tallies for each ride, along with Most Outstanding Performers for all four events, were not available due to the absence of live scoring updates by UC Davis.

Up Next

Just three regular season meets remain for TCU, all of which are against ranked opponents. The Horned Frogs return home for the first time in more than three months to host No. 3 Texas A&M on Feb. 18 at Bear Creek Farms. TCU then concludes its Big 12 regular season schedule with a visit to Stillwater to battle No. 7 Oklahoma State on Feb. 25 before competing at home one final time against No. 8 Baylor on March 4. The Horned Frogs will host Senior Day as a part of their tussle with the Bears.