Newcomers Shine in Season-Opening Victory vs. Tarleton

Thursday, September 14

Burleson, Texas

9:00 AM

TCU

Tarleton

Newcomers Shine in Season-Opening Victory vs. Tarleton

9/14/2023 11:35:00 AM | Equestrian

Scoresheet (PDF)

Nine freshmen made their collegiate debuts for TCU

BURLESON, Texas – TCU bested both its opponent and mother nature in its unofficial 2023-24 debut.

The Horned Frogs pitched an 11-0 shutout of Tarleton in an exhibition meet amidst a colossal downpour on Thursday at Bear Creek Farms.

Sideways rain and a dank, humid air transformed TCU's outdoor arena into a muddy bog, but the suboptimal riding conditions did not dampen the excitement surrounding the program's first meet of the fall.

The exhibition afforded a host of new faces the opportunity to rep the TCU uniform. A total of 20 athletes entered in TCU's 23-rider draw are underclassmen. Eleven riders made their collegiate debuts, including nine freshmen.

Thursday's meet marked the third straight year TCU staged its season-opener with a friendly competition vs. Tarleton, all of which have been shutouts in favor of the Horned Frogs.

Six possible points were awarded in Jumping Seat while five points were up for grabs in Western.

TCU claimed all four sets of most outstanding performer (MOP) honors. Manoog was crowned MOP in Flat for the second consecutive season vs. Tarleton after notching a career-high score of 90. A trio of freshmen accounted for the remaining MOP honors. Lilly Goldstein was honored in Fences while Peyton Staat (Horsemanship) and Anna Clausen (Reining) swept the Western citations.

Fences

Heavy rainfall slickened the course, but the added hurdle had no bearing on the end result. TCU claimed all three points behind

Goldstein was TCU's top countable scorer. She was awarded 86 points in her first of two Jumping Seat rides. Fellow newcomer Katalina Considine-Rickard kept pace with her classmate, as she rode to a score of 82 to tally TCU's third-and-final point. Sandwiched between the pair of freshmen rides was the TCU debut of Julia Nickl, who scored a 73 to help the Horned Frogs complete the Fences sweep.

A half-dozen Horned Frogs received exhibition rides. Though unofficial, freshman Franki Guidi was the meet's high scorer. She scored an 87 to put an exclamation point on her Horned Frog debut. Victoria Zahorik also eclipsed the 80-point threshold, as the judges awarded the sophomore's ride with an 83. Zahorik's ride was just four points shy of her career-best score. Emy Lucibello and Peyton Rathbun received respective scores of 77 and 76. Freshman Hanna Dolan rounded out the Horned Frogs' scoring with a 67.

Horsemanship

TCU picked up right where it left off in 2022-23. The Horned Frogs produced a 15-1-1 record in Horsemanship last season. If Thursday's trial run was any indication, TCU should again dominate its opposition in the event.

All four countable riders scored a 75-or-better to complete a 4-0 shutout. Three of the four riders were freshman, illustrating the deep stable of standouts head western coach Melissa Dukes has developed.

Freshmen Sydney Sargent and Peyton Staat each received scores of 76. Sophomore Tatum Keller notched a new career-high score, riding to a 75.5. Haylee Martin, a freshman from Sorrento, Florida, punctuated the collective performance with a 75-point ride.

Juniors Sidney Dunham and Catherine Goffard both participated in demo rides, with Dunham scoring a 76.5 and Goffard garnering a 73.5.

Flat

Manoog's ride was the apex of an auspicious morning. She joined Laurel Smith as one of just two athletes on the Horned Frogs roster to have notched a score of 90-or-higher in her career.

Flanking Manoog's ride were point-scoring rides of 75 and 72 from Alexandra Lipacis and Goldstein.

TCU also staged three demo rides, highlighted by an 84-point effort from Ella Bostwick. A fences specialist, Bostwick competed in Flat for the first time collegiately. Guidi checked in with a score of 81, giving her two rides in excess of 80 points. Zahorik, who scored three Flat victories for TCU in 2022-23, snared a score of 76.

Reining

Only one point was awarded in Reining due to Tarleton's roster constraints. Anna Clausen commandeered it, earning herself a 72-70.5 win en route to her first-ever MOP credential and a career-high score.

Sophomores Kaylene Cunningham and Kylie Baker were awarded scores of 73.5 and 71 in demo rides. Baker's score signified a career-high.

Up Next

The Horned Frogs officially kick off the 2023-24 campaign with perhaps their most highly anticipated home meet. TCU hosts reigning NCEA National Champion and crosstown rival SMU at 10 a.m. on Sept. 22 at Bear Creek Farms in a projected battle between two top-five teams. TCU and SMU last battled in Burleson in 2021.