MANHATTAN, Kan. The Kansas State equestrian team kept its flawless record intact Sunday as it defeated defending Varsity National Champion South Carolina, 13-7, at Fox Creek Farm.

Behind another strong performance by junior Jana Lechtenberg, who took home the Horsemanship MVP award, K-State has now brought its overall Varsity record to 3-0 on the season.

“I am really proud of Jana,” Western head coach Casie Williamson said. “She really stepped up and proved herself today.”

The Wildcats took control of the match in the Western competition with a 9-1 win. K-State cruised  to the win with victories in both Horsemanship, 4-1, and Reining, 5-0.

“This was a big win for us,” Williamson said. “I want our riders to keep riding exactly the way they did today, with the same confidence and mentality.”

The Wildcats, after jumping out to a substantial 9-1 lead, clinched the overall win during the English portion of the show after 3-2 losses in both Equitation over Fences and Equitation on the Flat.

Senior Whitney Snyder led K-State in Equitation on the Flat with a score of 86, and earned the MVP award. South Carolina rider Megan Massaro took home the other English MVP with her score of 80 in Equitation over Fences.

“Today was a fabulous day for our Western squad and a huge confidence builder for our team overall,” English head coach Ashley Duda said. “We were strong on the flat today but we can still work on some things to improve in that area before we take on Texas A&M.”

Sophomore Ashley Collett picked up a win in Equitation over Fences, 80-70, to stay undefeated at 3-0 on the season. Sophomore Kendall Marvin also kept her perfect record in Fences with a 69-40 win Sunday.

Sophomore Dani Pettera took home the final MVP award on the day in Reining. Pettera defeated Chloe Gray, 74.5-72.5

Freshman Alecia Zimbelman stayed undefeated on the season with her 72-70.5 win in Reining over Allison Bradley. Sophomore Morgan Campbell provided K-State with a spark as she won her match, 69.5-69, also in Reining.

“We have to keep our heads in gear as we have some very skilled opponents ahead of us,” Williamson said. “Texas A&M is a very good team and we just have to keep riding smart to be successful.”

The Wildcats next action takes place Friday, Nov. 9, at Fox Creek Farm with a head-to-head Varsity competition against Texas A&M.

Kansas State 13, South Carolina, 7

October 28, 2007

Fox Creek Farm

Manhattan, Kan.

English Results

Equitation over Fences

Ashley Collett 80 vs. Nicole Bourgeois 70

Paige Sullivan 80 vs. Kristen Terebesi 81

Leslie Yates 76 vs. Megan Massaro 80

Whitney Snyder 69 vs. Elanor Kunsman 76

Kendall Marvin 69 vs. Lindsay Pace 40

KSU 2 - USC 3

MVP- Megan Massaro (USC)

Equitation on the Flat

Leslie Yates 81 vs. Victoria Middleton 74

Jenny Giraldin 72 vs. Alex Haskell 77

Kendall Marvin 68 vs. Carly Babcock 77

Whitney Snyder 86 vs. Kristen Terebesi 84

Katie Mellon 78 vs. Sarah Stephens 80

KSU 2 - USC 3

MVP- Whitney Snyder (KSU)

Varsity Horsemanship

Courtney Watters 71 vs. Katy Biffle 70.5

Alyssa Freeman 72 vs. Hailey Thornton 70.5

Jana Lecthenberg 73.5 vs. Allison Bradley 72

Laura Browne 73.5 vs. Katie Grossnickle 73

Mikaela Sundgren 72 vs. Amy Biffle 72.5

KSU 4 USC 1

MVP- Jana Lechtenberg (KSU)

Reining

Kaylee Stout 71 vs. Lindsay Williams 69

Alecia Zimbelman 72 vs. Allison Bradley 70.5

Alyssa Freeman 72 vs. Rebekah Roof 71

Morgan Campbell 69.5 vs. Kyla Thurlow 69

Dani Pettera 74.5 vs. Chloe Gray 72.5

KSU 5 USC 0

MVP- Dani Pettera (KSU)

  -kstatesports.com-