FARGO, N.D.- The University of Minnesota Crookston equestrian teams had a jam-packed weekend with a National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) show against South Dakota State University and Fresno State University and Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) shows at North Dakota State University, including the Regional competition Sunday.

The Golden Eagles' weekend was highlighted by the team earning Reserve Champion High Point Team in the region. In addition, UMC western riders Chloe Nelson (Jr., Little Falls, Minn./Animal Science) and Danielle Schelonka (So., Randall, Minn./Health Science) advanced to the IHSA Semifinals March 21-22 at Eden Park Equestrian Complex in Sunbury, Ohio.

UMC opened up the weekend with both the western and hunt seat teams competing in Brookings, S.D. against South Dakota State and Fresno State. The competition was filled with some very successful rides.

The Golden Eagles started out the day riding against the Jackrabbits in Equitation over Fences. Anna Ojczyk (Fr., White Bear Lake, Minn./Animal Science) had a great round of fences on a tough horse, scoring a 65 to win the match for UMC. All of the other fence rounds were very competitive and all of the riders rode very well.

The second part of the day, the Golden Eagles competed against Fresno State. The freshmen on the hunt seat team represented well. Monika Frame (Fr., Polson, Mont./Sports and Rec Management) had a beautiful Equitation on the Flat ride, scoring a 74 against her Fresno State opponent, winning her match. Ojczyk also had a fantastic ride, scoring a 75 to win her match against Fresno State. In Equitation over Fences,
Sable Bettencourt (Sr., Cloquet, Minn./Equine Science) won her round, scoring a 75 and Ojczyk also won her match with a 64.

The UMC western team had impressive scores in Horsemanship against South Dakota State. Shannon Salm (Sr., Larsen, Wis.) had some impressive scores in Horsemanship against the Jackrabbits. Salm won her match with a 70.5 on pattern. Amy Stadtherr (Jr., New Ulm, Minn./Agricultural Business) also had a great ride to beat out her opponent with a score of 70.

The western team also competed against Fresno State Friday in the later afternoon. The Golden Eagles did not win any their horsemanship rides, however scores were very competitive, giving the younger riders a chance to get their feet wet in the pen.
In Reining against Fresno State, Salm tied with her opponent with a score of 68.

The UMC western team found success on Saturday at North Dakota State. The day started out with Amanda Guimont (Jr., Nowthen, Minn./Agricultural Business) making her debut in the Reining to take second in her section. Salm placed third in a very deep Open Horsemansip class, while Nelson came in fourth in the sam class.

Guimont and Joellen Gonsoir (Fr., Groton, S.D./Agricultural Business) also rode against each other in Open Horsemanship. Guimont finished second, while Gonsoir placed third for the Golden Eagles. Stadtherr finished third in her Advanced Horsmenaship division. Schelonka continued on her successful streak thus far in the season to finish second in the Novice division. This allowed her to qualify for regionals the next day.

Kaitlin Van Ruler (Fr., Woodstock, Minn./Animal Science) had a fantastic ride to win her Novice class.
Karcyn Pleune (So., Ada, Minn./Equine Science) made her western debut, after riding mostly with the hunt seat team. Pleune placed third in Intermediate Horsemanship. Lastly, Margaret Knowles (So., Bloomington, Minn./Equine Science) finished out her season with a strong third place finish in Beginner Horsemanship.

Sunday was a big day for six riders from the western team who made the regional competition. Both
Amberly Pesall (Jr., New Brighton, Minn.) and Salm rode in the Open Horsemanship finals. Pesall finished with a strong third place and Salm took seventh with a great ride. Guimont and Nelson rode against each other in Advanced Horsemanship. Guimont finished with a strong fifth place after dealing with a challenging horse. Nelson finished first and will be advancing on to the semifinals. Schelonka also had a strong ride in the preliminaries of her Novice division, which allowed her to make the finals. She placed second in the Novice division and will also be moving on to the semifinals.

Jenny Tack (So., St. Bonifacius, Minn./Agricultural Business) had a good ride in a deep class of intermediate horsemanship riders. She did not make the finals but is looking to come back even stronger next year as she is very close to pointing out of Novice.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.
 
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The University of Minnesota, Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).