Cowgirl Equestrian Set to Host SMU in Season Opener

Saturday, October 1

Stillwater, OK

10 a.m.

Oklahoma State University

Southern Methodist University

Orange vs Black Equestrian Scrimmage, Saturday, September 17th

September 28, 2022 | Cowgirl Equestrian

Meet Notes PDF

The Basics
The top-ranked Oklahoma State Equestrian team is set to host No. 4 SMU to open the season. The Cowgirls are coming off a historic season in 2021-22 after winning their eighth conference title and first NCEA overall national championship. OSU will begin its title defense against the Mustangs Saturday in Stillwater at 10 a.m.

About the Cowgirls
The Cowgirls are led by 24th-year head coach Larry Sanchez, fourth-year assistant Laura Brainard and first-year assistant Carter Anderson.

Fresh Face on Staff
Carter Anderson joins the Cowgirl staff as the Jumping Seat assistant coach after one season at UT-Martin, where she was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Equestrian Assistant Coach of the Year. In her one season on the UT-Martin staff, Anderson oversaw a group of jumping seat riders that was amongst the ECAC conference's best. The jumping unit collected 44 victories and 10 MOPs in fences to go along with 38 wins and eight MOPs in flat.

Starting on Top
The Cowgirls are ranked No. 1 in the NCEA preseason poll for the first time in program history. This is the eighth consecutive year that the program has been ranked in the preseason top 10, after being No. 4 in each of the last three years.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...
- Extend its win streak to eight, dating back to last season
- Extend its regular-season home win streak to 17-straight meets, dating back to 2018
- Improve its overall record to 10-4 against SMU.
- Make it three-straight season-opening wins

Who to Watch

"We are really looking forward to our first meet this Saturday," OSU head coach Larry Sanchez said. "The team is riding with a lot of confidence and cannot wait to get started. SMU should be very good again this year. We are going to have to ride smart and minimize mistakes to beat this very tough team."

Cowgirl MOPs

• Hope King: King is coming off a season full of accolades, including being named a First-Team All-American and the Big 12 Flat Rider of the Year. The senior went 11-5 in Flat and 6-9 in Fences on the season and will look to have another outstanding year.

• Sydnie Ziegler made a late decision to return to Oklahoma State for a fifth year, and Larry Sanchez and staff are thrilled to have her back. The All-American first teamer and two-time Big 12 Rider of the Month went 13-3-1 last year in Fences and 8-7 in Flat.

• One of four team captains, Jojo Roberson is coming off an impressive year in 2021-22. She finished the year 12-4 in Horsemanship and 7-6-2 in Reining, and was named a Second-Team All-American. The senior will try to lead the Cowgirls on a another national title run this season.

• Sophomore Riley Hogan had a big finish to her freshman season. After not competing much early, Hogan was a key component in the team's postseason success, finishing the year 6-2 in Fences and earning three wins at the NCEA National Championships. She'll look to pick up where she left off this year.

• Molly Mitchell rounded out the All-Americans from the Cowgirls' 2021-22 national championship team, as she was selected to the second team for Reining. Mitchell went 11-4-1 on the year in Reining and was a two-time Big 12 Rider of the Month selection. The senior will look to repeat her All-America status in 2022-23.