Heather Billings / The Collegian
On a typical day, equestrian team captain Katie Nenneker wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and heads over to the Student Horse Center to get some riding in before class. After classes are finished, she comes back again for more practice and doesn̢۪t leave until 10 p.m.
The junior pre-vet major, who was elected team captain by her English riding teammates, is described by her coach, Becky Malmo, to be an extremely motivated individual who does well both while on and off the saddle.
“Katie is probably the best English over fences rider we have on the team,â€Â Malmo said. “She’s also very dedicated to the team and rarely misses any practice. I can depend on her to be here and accomplish what needs to be done and she’s also a great student. I believe she’s maintained a 4.0 while on the team.â€Â
Nenneker confirmed that she had a 4.0 G.P.A. as a freshman and has continued to have good grades since, having a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.7.
“Schoolwork is definitely my number one priority,â€Â Nenneker said. “The team is my second.â€Â
As a captain, Nenneker said her biggest responsibilities are being a positive role model and creating an environment that makes the team, particularly the freshmen, feel comfortable.
“Out of all the team captains I feel like I’m the one that blends in the most because I don’t like telling people what to do and I want everyone to feel like they can talk to me,â€Â Nenneker said.
Sophomore Jennifer Jory explained that Nenneker is a helpful captain that she can look up to.
“We were roommates last year during nationals,â€Â Jory, a liberal studies major, said. “Whenever I got nervous before riding she was very supportive and knew exactly what to say to calm me down. She is just a great rider and great captain to look up to.â€Â
Malmo also commented that as a captain, Nenneker is very social and that her teammates enjoy being around her.
“She always has a smile on her face,â€Â Malmo said.
Aside from achieving high grades and being a role model captain, Nenneker first and foremost is a talented rider.
“The best score I’ve ever received was 84 last year at nationals,â€Â Nenneker said. “I won freshman of the year two years ago for getting good grades and participating heavily, and I’ve won two MVP awards.â€Â
Despite this success, Nenneker, who came to Fresno State from Oak Park, Calif. to be on the team and in the pre-vet program, remained humble and admitted that there are riding techniques she needs to improve on.
“My weakest point is that since I’m so tall I tip my body forward and draw my leg up, making it look squashed,â€Â Nenneker said. “Overall I think my position is nice, but there are tweaks I need to adjust.â€Â
Nenneker is ambitious and expressed that she feels confident about overcoming these slight flaws, and said that the most important thing to her is being able to work with the horse she is riding to accomplish whatever task is at hand.
“My goal whenever I get on a horse is not to be its commander,â€Â Nenneker said. “My goal is to cooperate with the horse to get what needs to be done, done.â€Â
She also plans to continue to work with horses when she graduates and goes off to graduate school to become a certified veterinarian.
“Riding is a part of who I am,â€Â Nenneker said. “Hopefully, though, one day I will open up a facility where I can rehabilitate horses and allow people to adopt them. That’s my ultimate goal.â€Â
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