Cowgirls end fall season with road losses

The sixth-ranked Oklahoma State University equestrian team suffered a pair of road losses to end the season.

OSU fell to No. 7 South Carolina, 12-8, at One Wood Farm in Columbia, S.C., on Friday, then lost 11-6 to No. 5 Georgia.

In Friday’s loss to South Carolina, the meet began with horsemanship and flat.

OSU claimed the team advantage in horsemanship 3-2. Claire McDowall and Maddie Fussell continue to shine for the Cowgirls in horsemanship, picking up their respective fifth wins of the season.

McDowall scored 74.5, the highest of the day for all riders in the event, and earned her second MOP of the season. It’s also her fifth time earning MOP in the regular season for her career. She beat her opponent by more than five points for the first time this season and the third time in her career.

Fussell extended her winning streak to five rides with her 74-72.5 win over Kiersten Beckner. This is the second time in her career she’s reached five straight wins, the last of which was in 2021-22 as a sophomore, and she has the longest active streak among the Cowgirls (2-5).

McDowall and Fussell both improved to 5-1 on the season.

June Roberson scored the other point for the Cowgirls as she picked up a 7358.5 win over Alyssa Jipping. Roberson scored the first point for OSU on the day. Despite putting up her lowest score of the season, Roberson now has a winning record for the year.

South Carolina completed a sweep in flat. Sophie Mitchell led the charge for the Gamecocks, as the reigning Southeastern Conference Flat Rider of the Month scored an event-high 84 points. It’s the first time OSU has been swept in an event this season and the first since last season when Fresno State posted a sweep in Flat.

After an intermission, the meet continued with fences and reining.

OSU picked up some momentum with a critical 3-2 advantage in fences. Riley Hogan and team captain Sydney North led the way with a pair of 87-point performances. The two riders beat their respective opponents by a combined 13 points.

Hogan picked up her fifth win of the season in fences, and her 87 points is a season high. Her win streak in the event bumped to three heading into the final meet of the fall.

For North, the win is her fourth of the year in the event. It’s the third time this season she’s scored over 86 points and is her second highest score this season.

Paige Jones scored the other OSU point in fences by tying a career-high 85 points. Jones was the first Cowgirl rider in the event and scored the first point as she improved to 3-1 on the year after being inserted into the lineup against SMU.

South Carolina led 9-6 entering the Reining competition. With two points needed to seal the meet, the Gamecocks did so by winning the first two rides. Abby Budd and Emma Filiatreau scored the first two points for OSU with their scores of 68.5 and 69.5, respectively. Filiatreau improved to 4-1-1 on the season while Budd is now 4-2.

After a re-ride, South Carolina’s Mattie McNeill outlasted Quincee Clark for the final point of the day.

In Saturday’s loss to Georgia, the meet began with flat and reining.

In reining, Filiatreau won her ride 70-63 for her second win of the weekend and improved to 5-1-1 on the year. Filiatreau has emerged as OSU’s most consistent Reining rider and has the best record of all the Cowgirls in that event for the year. Likewise, she’s only scored under 70 once this year.

Tristan Bagby also claimed the victory in her ride, winning 69.5-66.5, making it her second win on the road this year. Clark scored 72 points to force a tie with Georgia’s Raegan Shepherd. Their scores were the highest in the event.

Grace McReynolds and Mackenzie Carreras scored two points for the Cowgirls in flat. For McReynolds, it’s her first win in Flat since the second meet of the season against Baylor. McReynolds is inching closer to 20 overall career wins, with this win being her 19th. Meanwhile, Carreras is in the win column for the first time this season after defeating Jordan Toering.

After a brief intermission, the meet continued with horsemanship and fences.

Entering the second half with a 5-4 score, the Cowgirls lost momentum in fences and failed to tally a point. Sydney North tied with Catalina Peralta at 85 to prevent a clean sweep. It’s the second consecutive meet where the Cowgirls failed to put up a point in an event.

With the meet still in reach, McDowall came through for her fourth-straight win in horsemanship with her 77-73.5 victory over Leah Anderson. Her win secured her second MOP in as many meets and her third of the season.

Roberson built off McDowall’s win with a 77 score of her own and beat her opponent by seven points. Roberson tied her season- and career-high with that score and has won three-straight rides.

The Bulldogs sealed their victory by winning the next two rides in horsemanship. Fussell saw her five-ride win streak come to an end as she tied Jordan Davis in the final ride of the day.

The Cowgirls won’t be in action again until Feb. 9, when Baylor comes to town to kick off the spring season.