MANHATTAN, Kan. The Kansas State Athletics Department announced Wednesday that current assistant coaches Ashley Duda-Foster and Casie Lisabeth-Williamson will take over as co-head coaches of the equestrian program. The duo will take over for Teresa Slough, who resigned her position in June to become a full-time faculty member in the Department of Animal Science and Industry at Kansas State. Duda will remain in control of the English squad, while Lisabeth will continue to lead the Western squad.

“Ashley and Casie have been tremendous assets to Kansas State and the equestrian program as assistants and we are extremely pleased to have them remain as co-head coaches of the program,” Athletics Director Tim Weiser said. “We are grateful to Teresa Slough for her contributions to the program and believe she has helped take our equestrian program to the next level. Under the leadership of Ashley and Casie, we are confident that the program will continue to be among the nation’s best.”

In her first two seasons on the Wildcat staff as an assistant, Duda-Foster spearheaded an English team that finished sixth at the 2006 Varsity Equestrian National Championships and 10th nationally at the IHSA National Championships. This past season, the English squad took third at the 2007 Varsity Equestrian National Championships and helped Kansas State to a fourth-place overall finish at the championships.

Duda-Foster came to Kansas State in 2005 from Virginia Tech, where she graduated with a bachelor of science degree in biology with a minor in political science. While at Virginia Tech, Duda-Foster competed for the Hokies in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association and Intercollegiate Dressage Association. She qualified for both the IHSA National Championship Horse Show and the IDA National Championship Horse Show in 2004 and also represented the United States in two International student riding competitions. 

“I am really looking forward to sharing the head coaching position with Coach Williamson,” Duda-Foster said. “I feel that the co-head coach position is really going to help our team become more unified. Over the past few years, great things have been happening to KSU Equestrian. Coach Slough did an incredible job with this program and has left big shoes to fill. I am honored to follow in her footsteps.”    

This past season, Lisabeth-Williamson made an instant impact on the staff in her first season as she led the Western squad to a sixth-place finish at the VENC. Individually, senior Sara Weller was one of a select few nationally chosen to compete at the prestigious NRHA Derby at the Collegiate Reining Invitational.

Prior to coming to Kansas State in 2006, Lisabeth-Williamson had served one year as a student coach at Texas A&M University, where she assisted with an Aggie squad that placed third nationally in Western at both the Varsity Equestrian and IHSA Championships.

As a four-year member of the Aggie equestrian team, Lisabeth-Williamson was the Reserve High Point Regional Rider of the Year in 2005 and also had two top-four finishes at the Varsity Equestrian Championships as a senior. She earned her bachelor of science degree in animal science from Texas A&M in 2006.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to co-head coach next year with Coach Foster,” Lisabeth-Williamson said. “We worked so well together this year and I am looking forward to great things next season. Coach Slough started a great program and it has been great working under her this year. I am delighted she gave me this opportunity and put so much faith in me to maintain the Western squad. I have high expectations for next season with the experience we have returning coupled with some very talented riders moving into the program.”

k-statesports.com