No. 8 EQ’s Comeback Bid Falls Short in NCEA Semifinals, 8-6 to No. 4 SMU

Friday, April 16

Waco, Texas

10:00 a.m.

Baylor

SMU

No. 8 EQ’s Comeback Bid Falls Short in NCEA Semifinals, 8-6 to No. 4 SMU

4/16/2021 6:24:00 PM | Equestrian

Results (PDF)

Bears’ season ends in deepest postseason run during the Casie Maxwell era

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            When Baylor equestrian walked into the Extraco Events Center arena on Friday, the Bears had a confidence that wasn't there just 24 hours earlier.
            After Baylor (3-8) upset wo-time defending national champion Auburn and snapped the top-seeded Tigers' 42-meet winning streak, senior All-American Rachael Davis said the mindset was, "We weren't even supposed to be here. We might as well just go out and ride the best we possibly can against SMU."
            That's exactly what they did, but a second-half comeback fell just short in an 8-6 loss to the fourth-seeded Mustangs in Friday's NCEA National Championship semifinal.
            "We fought every point down to the last step," said coach Casie Maxwell, whose team made it to the semifinals for the first time in six years. "You want to have a moment to be bummed about it, but then you step back and realize that two weeks ago we didn't know we were even going to be here. You put it in perspective, and you realize what an amazing way to end the season and how close we were."
            Much like Thursday's upset of Auburn, this one came down to the last ride. Facing a 5-2 deficit at halftime, Baylor closed the gap with a 2-1 win in reining, with Jenna Meimerstorf and Daisy Kaufman picking up points.
            "We knew they were beatable," Davis said. "Even though we didn't come out with the win today, I think we had some really solid rides."
            Likely needing to sweep the four flat rides, Baylor got wins from Davis and Caroline Fuller to get back within 7-6, but SMU's Taylor Madden clinched it with a 245-point score on Sparky.
            "There were some points we could have had, for sure," Maxwell said. "It was very, very close, small mistakes. Nobody made any major mistakes, by any means. So, you definitely have to be proud of that. But, there was probably a point or two that we could have had some control over."
            Although Baylor lost to SMU, 12-8, last month in Dallas, Maxwell said the "plane feels so much more level when you're on neutral ground."
            "It's hard to go beat people in their home arena," she said. "We feel like anything is fair game here. It's hard to get the whole team wrapped around that until you actually experience it like we did yesterday (against Auburn). That was a confidence boost that we needed to know that our score earlier in the year with SMU is irrelevant. It's a level field here, so we came out swinging."
            In the first half, SMU got wins in fencing (2-1) and horsemanship (3-1) to take the 5-2 lead. Davis recorded a 257 score in fences and Clara Johnson picked up the other point with a 228.5-point score in horsemanship.
            "What our season didn't really show until the very end was how much work we continued to put in and how we didn't give up on ourselves and how we kept fighting every single time we went in the arena," Johnson said. "Being able to close out my senior season with a big win (against Auburn), it really encapsulates everything we've been trying to do and working on."
            SMU advances to Saturday's final to face third-seeded Georgia, which knocked off second-seeded Oklahoma State, 10-6, in the other semifinal.

THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – Coming off a historic upset over No. 1 Auburn, No. 8 Baylor equestrian fell just short in an 8-6 meet to No. 4 SMU in the semifinals of the 2021 NCEA National Championship.

The Bears made up ground after trailing by three points at the half to have a shot at tying the meet in the final ride of the day. However, BU was unable to complete the comeback, as its season came to an end in what amounted to be its deepest postseason run under fourth-year head coach Casie Maxwell.

The day began with rides in both Horsemanship and Fences. Clara Johnson was the sole point-winner for the Bears on the Western side, collecting a score of 228.5 to notch the point in her matchup. Katie Davis matched her season best with a 229, though she was defeated by the Mustangs' top score of 231.5.

Meanwhile in Fences, Rachael Davis was the only Bear to put a point on the board, tallying a 257. Gia Gulino recorded a 251 but tied her matchup, sending BU to the half trailing 5-2.

Following the break, Baylor bounced back in Reining with a 2-1 event win. Jenna Meimerstorf and Daisy Kaufman collected the points with scores of 221.5 and 206, respectively. With just one event left, the Bears had brought the meet score within two at 6-4.

Flat was the final event, and the Bears went wire-to-wire with the Mustangs. Davis and Caroline Fuller put up points with 231 and 207 totals, pushing the ledger to 7-6. Gulino was the final rider for BU, but her 219 score came up shy of tying the meet, eliminating the Bears from the postseason.

NOTABLES
• Baylor finished the season with the program's first appearance in the NCEA semifinals.
• BU ended the year with three wins over ranked opponents.
• The Bears won three of their final four Reining events of the season.
• Rachael Davis finished the 2020-21 campaign undefeated in Flat at 11-0.
• Jenna Meimerstorf scored a personal season-best 221.5 (73.8 average) in Reining.
• Daisy Kaufman improved to 5-2 on the season in Reining.
• Clara Johnson recorded a season-high 228.5 (76.1 average) in Horsemanship.
• Katie Davis matched her season-high score of 229 (76.3 average) in Horsemanship.

STAT OF THE MEET
Top-4 – For the first time in the Casie Maxwell era, BU made an appearance in the NCEA semifinals and ended the season in the top four.

TOP QUOTES
Head coach Casie Maxwell…
On ending the season in the NCEA semifinals…
"I'm super proud of the team today. This was amazing. We were thinking about the fact that we should be bummed that we lost in the semifinals and it is hard, but you step back and realize that two weeks ago we didn't even know if we were going to be here. What an amazing way to end the season. I'm thankful all the girls got to experience this the way they did because they all did outstanding."

Senior Rachael Davis…
On her final ride as a senior…
"I took the confidence from my ride yesterday with me and I was able to walk into the arena and say, 'I know I should be here. I'm going to go in and enjoy my moment.' And that mindset paid off. There was confidence that we didn't have yesterday. After we pulled off the win and came out with such high scores, we were able to say 'Well, we weren't even supposed to be here, so we might as well go out and do the best we can.' Even though we didn't come out with the win today, I think we had some really solid rides."

To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor equestrian, follow the team on Facebook (Baylor Equestrian), Twitter (@BaylorEQ) and Instagram (@BaylorEquestrian).

-BaylorBears.com-