No. 9 Baylor got the kind of result it needed on Friday afternoon, taking down No. 8 Fresno State, 11-9, in the Bears’ conference opener at the Willis Family Equestrian Center in Waco, Texas.
The win moved Baylor to 3-1 and gave the Bears a split of the day’s momentum battle: they won Fences, 4-1, and Flat, 3-2, while also doing enough in Reining and Horsemanship to hold off the Bulldogs. Jumping Seat senior Caroline Muth headlined the meet with her second career Most Outstanding Performer honor in Fences.
Baylor set the tone early in Flat, where Morgan McCarthy, Juliette Earley, and Julia Babington each delivered points for the Bears. The next stretch belonged to Reining, with Sadie Peters and Isabelle Hildebrandt adding two more points before the teams reached halftime tied at 5-5.
After the break, Baylor made its move. Muth, Nicolette Perry, Katie Smith, and McCarthy powered a 4-1 edge in Fences, with Muth turning in a career-high 86 - the highest score for Baylor in the meet. From there, the Bears finished the job in Horsemanship with points from Addisyn Albers and Isabella Buckley, sealing the 11-9 upset.
There were plenty of individual bright spots beyond the final score. Buckley and Babington both made their collegiate debuts and each helped Baylor on the scoreboard. Albers posted a career-high 77.5, Hildebrandt set a career best at 72, Earley hit a season-high 85.5, Carley Rutledge earned a season-high 75, Peters reached a season-high 71, Smith posted a season-high 82.5, and McCarthy logged a season-best 81 in Fences.
For Muth, the day belonged to Puzzle and an 86 that matched the best ride of the meet. That effort earned her the second Most Outstanding Performer award of her career.
Head coach Casie Maxwell said the home result gave the team something to build on.
"It feels really good to be back at home. The team earned the win under our belt and restored some confidencethat they lost a couple of weeks ago.
I'm really proud of how they fought all day long. They kept their heads about them and laid some really solid rides out today.
If we can just get rid of those mistakes and get out of our head a little bit, that'll be the goal before TCU comes down here. We just need to keep building on those steps and building our confidence, and they get a little better every single time.
That's really all we can ask of them. They've been really, really great, and glad they get to enjoy a day off tomorrow."
Albers said Baylor came out ready to compete and still has more to chase.
"I thought we came out and really put it all out there. I think that there are still things that we're going to keep challenging ourselves on every day and get better at."
Baylor’s next test comes Friday, Oct. 23, when the Bears host No. 6 TCU at 11 a.m. at the Willis Family Equestrian Center.
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