(Crookston, Minn.)- The University of Minnesota, Crookston Western Equestrian team moved into first place in the region this past Friday and Saturday with a solid show at South Dakota State University (SDSU). The Golden Eagles had trailed North Dakota State University by four points but are now ahead by 22 points after an impressive showing.

"The classes at SDSU were large," says Golden Eagle Western Coach Nicky Overgaard.  "Each class had  between ten and 14 riders making ribbons hard to come by." 

Karen Carpendo (So, Bessemer, Mich.) and Lisa Schabo (So, Appleton, Wis.) each took first place in the Intermediate Division while Sabra Amundson (Fr, Colton, S.D.) captured a blue ribbon in the Beginner Horsemanship Class. Mitzi Marlin (Fr, Nowthen, Minn.) had a great ride to a second place finish with Melissa Freitag (Fr, Wolverton, Minn.), Kayla Klein (Sr, Hazen, N.D.), Kayla Krueger (So, Walker, Minn.) and Amanda Flint (So, Aberdeen, S.D.) riding to third place finishes in large, difficult classes. U of M, Crookston finished the day with 23 points and a Reserve High Point team finish behind SDSU.

The Saturday horse show saw some great rides with captain Kayla Klein taking second place in Reining and Open Horsemanship to tie for Reserve High Point Rider of the day. Kaitlyn Tollefsrud (Jr, Hawley, Minn.) finished third in the Reining on a nice ride. In the Novice Division, Megan Kramer (Jr, Owatonna, Minn.) and Amanda Flint each won blue ribbons in their classes with Amy Van Treeck (So, Sheboygan Falls, Wis.) picking up third place. Mitzi Marlin rode really well to win her Intermediate Class with Lisa Schabo also took third place. To finish the day, Sabra Amundson's third place ribbon gave her enough points to qualify for the Regional Horse Show. At the end of the day, the Golden Eagles were the High Point Team for the show ahead of SDSU. 

"This show was really tough with all of the large classes," says Coach Overgaard. "However, this show is where the team really pulled together to help each other out. It was great to see everyone working so well together.  Before the show, we talked a great deal about having a positive attitude and filling our heads with positive comments. It paid off." 

Total team points for the year's top 5 teams so far are:  University of Minnesota, Crookston - 150, North Dakota State University - 128, Rochester Community and Technical College - 122, University of Wisconsin-River Falls - 105, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities - 84.

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

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).
 
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Photo Caption: The University of Minnesota Western Equestrian Team following the show at South Dakota State University