Cowgirls lose to No. 4 Texas A&M

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State’s fifth-ranked equestrian team dropped its match-up against No. 4 Texas A&M 10-9 on Saturday at Pedigo-Hull Equestrian Center.

Despite leading the overall points category, the Cowgirls fell to 1-3 on the year while the Aggies remain undefeated at 3-0.

“We made some mistakes today that we need to clean up,” OSU coach Larry Sanchez said. “Texas A&M is a very good team, and you can’t leave the door open for them. We are going to continue to practice hard and prepare for the next one.”

The meet began with fences and horsemanship. The Cowgirls claimed a 3-2 advantage in horsemanship but dropped the team score in Fences 3-1.

Maddie Fussell led the way in horsemanship, posting the highest score in the event on the day with a 76 and picking up the first MOP of her career. It was also Fussell’s 20th career win in the orange and black. With the win, Fussell is now on a three-ride winning streak and 3-1 on the season.

Freshman phenom Bella D’Onofrio earned the second victory of her career, winning 75.5-74 over Ellie Gerbrandt. D’Onofrio is undefeated as a Cowgirl and has posted back-to-back 75.5 scores.

Claire McDowall scored the first point of the event with a 74.5-73 win over Millie Landon. Like Fussell, McDowall improved to 3-1 on the season and is back on track after dropping her previous ride against Southern Methodist University.

In fences, Riley Hogan claimed the only point for the Cowgirls with a 7877 win over Devon Thomas. Hogan improved her fences record to 3-1 on the season.

Heading into the intermission, the Cowgirls trailed 5-4. The meet then continued with flat and reining.

The Cowgirls came out hot against the Aggies to start the second half of competition, thanks to claiming a 3-2 advantage in reining.

Emma Filiatreau and Abby Budd each put forth a 71-point effort in their respective wins. Both riders earned their second win of the season, with Budd’s triumph sealing the advantage on the team score. Tristan Bagby also earned her second win of the season with a 70.5-69 outing against Emmy Lu Marsh. The reining event concluded with the Cowgirls and Aggies tied at 7-all.

In flat, Hogan picked up her second win of the afternoon, this time against Devon Thomas. With her win, her combined season record is 5-2-1.

To give the Cowgirls a two-point lead, Sydney North earned a point against Brooke Brombach, who earned the Fences MOP. It’s her first win in flat of the year.

After the Aggies scored two more to tie the meet at nine apiece, it came down to a re-ride for Ella Reinauer and Maggie Nealon. After tying their initial competition, Texas A&M was granted a re-ride, which saw Nealon edge out Reinauer by two points for the winning score.

OSU heads into a bye week before next facing Fresno State at home on Nov. 3.