Equestrian - Meet Preview vs. Oklahoma State (March 27)

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

After facing No. 5 Baylor on Saturday, things do not get any easier for the
SMU equestrian team as they take on No. 4 Oklahoma State in a Hunt Seat
competition on Sunday, March 27. The meet will be held at Buck Branch
Farm in Wilmer, Texas.

Oklahoma State (6-3) presents an interesting challenge for the Mustangs, as
the Cowboys feature a stable of consistent riders who are all capable of
earining a point, rather than relying on a couple of really strong riders.

The top three OSU riders on the flat, for instance, have a combined record
of 16-6 while only earning a total of 3 MVPs on the season (Allison Rose,
Alice White, Jordan White).

The OSU depth on the flat could pose a problem for SMU (2-8), who is much
stronger over fences.

SMU is led by junior Jordyn Pettersen (9-1, 4 MVPs) who is currently the
third leading scorer in the country over fences with an average adjusted
score of 79.60.

On paper, SMU appears to be competitive with the highly ranked Cowboys
over fences, with Emily Gardner (4-5), Marissa Djernes (3-4-2), and
Ramsay Hanson (2-4) all ranked close to OSU's other usual jumpers.

On the flat, SMU's top rider is Renick Townsend (4-3-3, 2 MVPs) who will
almost certainly need to score a point Sunday if SMU has any hope of
claiming the meet. The Mustangs' next best rider in equitation, Claire
Wenholz, is ranked behind OSU's four top riders. Wenholz is 4-6 on the
season, although she has claimed one MVP award.

It will be very interesting to monitor the progress of the SMU equestrian
team this weekend. The Mustangs have really made strides in improving
this spring, but facing Top 5 opponents on back-to-back days will be
a challenging test for the young Mustangs.

Prediction:

While SMU definitely boasts the top rider in this competition in
Jordyn Pettersen, it will be a struggle for SMU to match the depth of
Oklahoma State. While the Mustangs should be competitive over fences,
it will be shocking of OSU loses more than one point on the flat.

I look for Oklahoma State to win this one 10-2.

Note: I will try to update this preview Saturday after the Baylor
meet if the results are available.

[Mustangsabu]

Great info, thanks. I hope the Ponies can pull a few upsets but it will certainly be good experience to go against elite opposition