(Crookston, Minn.)- The University of Minnesota, Crookston Western Equestrian team capped off the fall portion of the 2009-2010 season with a successful home show at the University Teaching and Outreach Center (UTOC) in Crookston, Minn. this past Saturday and Sunday. Tandra Klein (Jr, Hazen, N.D.) started the day winning the Reining Class with Amanda Peterson (Sr, Rochester, Minn.) taking third. They followed up in the Open Rail Class with Peterson winning and Klein taking second earning Klein the High Point Rider award of the day and Peterson taking the Reserve. Mary Hurley (Jr, Grand Meadow, Minn.) was second in the other section of the Open Horsemanship Class. Kayla Klein (Jr, Hazen, N.D.) took second place in her Advanced Horsemanship Class. Golden Eagle Novice Riders were exceptional with Kaitlyn Tollefsrud (So, Hawley, Minn.) and Kayla Krueger (Fr, Walker, Minn.) winning the blue ribbons in their classes and Jackie Nikkel (Jr, Lundar, Manitoba) taking second place. The intermediate group was also very successful with big wins from Amy VanTreeck (Fr, Sheboygan Falls, Wis.) and Megan Kramer (So, Owatonna, Minn).  Amanda Flint (Fr, Aberdeen, S.D.) and Anna Steen (So, Hanover, Minn.) were both good for second place finishes in their classes. Lisa Schabo (Jr, Appleton, Wis.) wrapped up the day with a big win in the Beginner Walk Trot Class helping to give U of M, Crookston a big win over North Dakota State University (NDSU) 35 to 25. This show qualified Peterson, Kayla Klein (Jr, Haazen, N.D.), Kramer and Tollefsrud for the Regional Championship in their respective divisions.
 
Sunday started with Tandra Klein and Hurley winning their sections of Reining. Hurley followed this by taking second in the Open. Tandra Klein took fourth which gave Hurley the High Point Rider of the day title with Klein taking the reserve.  Peterson won the first section of the Open Horsemanship. Kayla Klein won the second section of the Open Horsemanship with a really solid performance. Kramer also claimed a big win in the higher Novice Class with Flint taking second in her division putting her a point away from qualifying for regionals. Addie O'Neil (Fr, Redwood Falls, Minn.) and VanTreeck had great rides winning their classes as well.  Steen took second in her class garnering more team points. The Golden Eagles ended the day tied for Reserve Champion team with South Dakota State University (SDSU) while NDSU gained an extra two points edging out the region for the team totals of the day.

The successful weekend widened the point standings for overall team rankings. U of M, Crookston finishes this semester of competition with a total of 198 points. NDSU trails in second with 155 points and SDSU in third with 130 points. There is one last regular season Western Horse Show hosted by NDSU on February 6-7, 2010.

"This was a great weekend for our riders," says Golden Eagle Western Coach Nicky Overgaard.  "We qualified four more individuals and are close to qualifying five more riders for regionals. The team worked so well together and were of tremendous help to one another. They really pulled together to work on maintaining the team goal of qualifying for semi-finals and qualifying over half the team for regionals. We are riding well and improvements are seen at practices.  I can really see it paying off at the competitions."

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics Web site at http://www.goldeneaglesports.com/.

The University of Minnesota, Crookston is a 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).

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Photo Caption: Top - Amanda Peterson (Left), Kayla Klein (Right)

                      Bottom - Megan Kramer (Left), Kaitlyn Tollefsrud (Right)