Brianna Campbell/Collegian File Photo
The No. 9 Fresno State equestrian team will host the annual Best in the West Invitational on Saturday and Sunday. Every school featured in the invitational is ranked in the top 10 in the latest coaches poll.
The invitational will feature the No. 5 TCU Horned Frogs, No. 6 USC Trojans and No. 8 Baylor Bears.
The two-day event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., with the competition taking place at the Student Horse Center. This will mark the fifth straight time that the event has been held.
The invitational is set up in a head-to-head format with each team competing against one another by Sunday’s conclusion. One rider from each school will compete against a rider from the opposing school, but both use the same horse.
Of the Bulldogs’ 40-player roster, 34 are expected to show in an event.
“Luckily the [invitational] gives us multiple spots to show people, so we’re going try and take full advantage of those opportunities,” co-head coach Julia Scrivani said.
“We have some new riders [and] we have some strong seniors and very talented freshmen on both sides,” co-head coach Stephanie Reeves added.
Being at home not only allows for a home crowd advantage, but also has a leg up of being accustomed to the provided horses.
“It’s a big advantage as far as we know our horses,” Scrivani said.
Of the three schools that will compete against the Bulldogs, only Baylor has not competed in Fresno so far. TCU has been a part of the Best in the West Invitational since the competition’s inception in the 2006-07 season. The Bulldogs have won the previous four Best of the West Invitationals.
The Horned Frogs are undefeated this season, including a 10-9 victory over the Bulldogs just 12 days ago. The Bears are currently 8-6 but won their latest events against SMU and Sacred Heart on Feb 19.
“I think we’re doing really well,” junior western rider Carolyn Carter said. “We’ve been practicing really hard and we’ve been doing good at our shows.’”
The Bulldogs will also send out five seniors on the team who will be competing in their final Best of the West Invitational.
“We’re a young team, but we have a lot of talent,” Reeves said.
After the invitational the Bulldogs will have two more meetings before the Varsity Equestrian National Championships. The first will be held on March 12 at Tennessee-Martin, and the last will be on March 26 at home against Texas A&M in the Student Horse Center.
This is Baylor’s last competition before the Big 12 Championship. TCU will have three more competitions, including at Delaware State on March 6 and two more home events against Georgia and Oklahoma State.
The team is also planning on showing the horses on campus on Friday as part of a meet-and-greet with students.
The Saturday and the Sunday events are open to the public and free of charge.