STILLWATER, Okla. Despite a strong performance from the Western squad, the Kansas State equestrian team, the No. 4 seed, dropped a tightly contested match with top-seeded Baylor in the first round of the Big 12 Championships on Friday.

The Wildcats tied the Bears, 8-8, but were defeated in a tiebreaker, 2146-2109, when calculating both teams’ raw scores. The Hunter Seat squad was upended by Baylor, 5-3, but the Western squad rode past the Bears, 5-3.

Over fences, senior Ashley Collett was the lone winner for the Wildcats as she defeated Kara Fergusson, 141-131. Senior Whitney Snyder led K-State on the flat by upsetting Mary Smitson by a generous margin, 150-132. Snyder also earned MVP honors for her outstanding ride on the flat to up her season record on the flat to 9-3-1 and her overall mark to 18-7-1. Senior Leslie Yates also picked up a win on the flat by defeating Margaret Beaudoin, 134-132.

Two Wildcat riders picked up wins in the horsemanship category as seniors Alyssa Freeman and Jana Lechtenberg rode to victory. Freeman defeated Lindsay Douglas by a large margin, 139.5-0, and Lechtenberg upset Nicole McCoy, 142.5-138.5.

In the reining section, three Wildcat riders rode home with wins. Sophomore Alecia Zimbelman led K-State by defeating Kim Marlowe, 141-126, to improve to 9-4-1 overall for the reining squad. Also picking up wins in the reining category were senior Tara Hallan and junior Kaylee Stout. Hallan defeated MVP award winner Madelyn Mooney, 143-138.5, while Stout upset Katie Buss, 138-136.5.

Kansas State will show for third place on Saturday against Texas A&M, while Oklahoma State and Baylor will go head to head for the championship crown. Oklahoma State defeated Texas A&M on Friday, 9-6. Saturday’s competition is set to begin at 10 a.m.

Complete results from Friday's competition against Baylor are as follows.

VARSITY COMPETITION

Equitation on the flat:
Whitney Snyder 150** vs Mary Smitson 132

Jenny Giraldin 122 vs Cara Wilson 150

Paige Kovari 0 vs Shelby White 140

Leslie Yates 134 vs Margaret Beaudoin 132

Equitation over fences:

Whitney Snyder 150 vs Nicole Brown 162**

Kendall Marvin 155 vs Kendra Vicary 157

Ashley Collett 141 vs Kara Fergusson 131

Leslie Yates 152 vs Lisa Goldman 170

Hunter Seat Totals: KSU 3 BU 5

Horsemanship:
Alyssa Freeman 139.5 vs Lindsay Douglas 0

Jana Lechtenberg 142.5 vs Nicole McCoy 138.5

Laura Browne 143.5 vs Lindsey Tomko 144.5**

Courtney Watters 128 vs Allison Orosz 146.5

Reining:
Kaylee Stout 138 vs Katie Buss 136.5

Tara Hallan 143 vs Madelyn Mooney 138.5**

Alecia Zimbelman 141 vs Kim Marlowe 126

Morgan Campbell 129.5 vs Amber Mooney 141.5

Western Totals: KSU 5 BU 3

OVERALL: KSU 8 BU 8

    TIEBREAKER: KSU 2109 - BU 2146

**MVP Award Winners
 

          -kstatesports.com-