STARTED IN THE SADDLE

Champions' TriBUne Archive

By: Madaline Callaway

Champions' TriBUne is a special feature through Baylor Athletics that gives you the student-athlete's perspective and the chance for them to share their own story. Madaline Callaway, an All-Big 12 pick and second-team All-American in reining, is a junior from Loveland, Colo, majoring in communications. The "indescribable" highlight of her third season on the equestrian team was scoring a big point in the Bears' 8-7 upset of No. 1-ranked Auburn in the NCEA Championship quarterfinals, ending the Tigers' 42-meet winning streak:

Some people don't believe me when I say this, but I have been riding horses since before I was born. My mom would actually ride while she was pregnant with me. And then, after I was born, I would ride with her in the saddle so I would not fall off. By age 6, I decided I wanted to compete, because riding horses is what I loved to do. For most of my early life, riding was just something I did for fun. By the time I got to middle school, I started to take it very seriously, because I wanted to compete on a college-level team when I got older. Success was hard for me, though, because I was not riding good performance horses like my competitors were. I was riding multiple difficult horses, and that is one thing that prepared me the most for college riding, because you never know what kind of horse you're going to draw in competition.

Reining, the discipline that I compete in, requires each rider to perform a pattern and show the judge that you can willingly guide a horse throughout the maneuvers. Those maneuvers include stops, spins, rollbacks, lead changes and circles. To be honest, I was not a very good rider in middle school and high school because I was new to reining. Previously, I had done dressage and jumping. I was born into it, because that is what my mom did. But, I knew I had more potential than just being successful in those disciplines. I craved a discipline that was faster, with more of an adrenaline rush.

My dad, Garrett, graduated from Baylor, and it's always been my desire to follow in his footsteps. So, that was my goal in high school, to attend Baylor and ride for the equestrian team. I knew I was in the right place when I stepped on the campus at Baylor for the first time. Baylor was the place where I wanted to create long-lasting memories. Little did I know that my experience so far would be so eye-opening.

Madaline Callaway

I fully believe that I was called to Baylor. The opportunities that I have experienced here have shaped me into the athlete and the person I am today. What I have learned from being on the Baylor Equestrian team has taught me way more than I ever would have thought. I have learned three important things during my time at Baylor. First, hard work does pay off. That requires having to ride my horses outside of practice. I never give myself a break, because I want to be the best for my team. I am lucky enough that I can take my horses to Texas so that I can practice during the off-season, summer, weekends and days off. Training is important. The second thing is confidence. Before coming to Baylor, I never had a great appreciation for my own ability or qualities. Since teaching myself how to be confident in the show pen and for my teammates, I have seen a dramatic change in who I am as an athlete. Confidence shines and goes a long way, even if things are going wrong. Third is having the ability to be mentally tough, because it can really get you through anything.

I just finished my junior season and, as everyone around me would say, I had an amazing year. With my sophomore year postseason being stripped away from me due to COVID, I was unable to experience my full potential that year. While I was at home during the pandemic, I reflected on myself, my riding and how I wanted to make an impact on my team before I leave. I think a lot of people self-reflected during this time, and I'm just thankful I had the chance to do that in the presence of my family.

Madaline Callaway

This year has probably been one of the hardest years of my life. Yes, my freshman year was very hard and I struggled, but that is the typical freshman year. Life has thrown me curveballs, and I have had to force myself to push those problems aside, especially when competing. I was not going to make excuses for not giving 100% to my team. That was the most rewarding thing, being able to overcome the hard things in my personal life and making the most of what I had.

Madaline Callaway

This season was an unforgettable time for me and my Baylor team. We had a tough regular season, with a lot of things not going our way. But, even when things didn't go our way, we stepped up to the plate time and time again, never backing down or losing our confidence. When postseason arrived, we were not guaranteed a spot for the NCEA National Championship. We ended up being selected as the last seed and faced a top-ranked Auburn team in the quarterfinals that had won 42 meets in a row. The Tigers were ready to take another national championship trophy back home with them this year. But, Baylor did the impossible and ended up beating the Tigers and knocking them out in the first round. The feeling was indescribable, and I had never felt anything like it before. For everyone who was there at the Extraco Events Center, it was a very emotional moment. I am so lucky I was able to experience an historic win against a team that had been unbeatable since I was a freshman.

Madaline Callaway

Our team had struggled so much, especially during the regular season, but never gave up. In the end, we were able to show our true potential because we knew we had nothing to lose. I am so thankful to have been a part of so many special moments with this team, and I am excited and looking forward to a great season next year and throughout the rest of my Baylor career.

Madaline Callaway

Previous Champions' TriBUne Features:
Acrobatics & Tumbling - DayAndrea Thompson (May 13, 2021)
Men's Tennis - Constantin Frantzen (May 6, 2021)
Softball - Sidney Holman-Mansell (April 8, 2021)
Women's Golf - Gurleen Kaur (March 25, 2021)
Baseball - Andy Thomas (March 4, 2021)
Men's Tennis - Charlie Broom (Feb. 11, 2021)
Volleyball - Marieke van der Mark (Dec. 3, 2020)
Football - Raleigh Texada (Nov. 12, 2020)
Men's Cross Country - Ryan Hodge (Oct. 29, 2020)
Women's Cross Country - Sarah Antrich (Oct. 15, 2020)
Volleyball - Hannah Sedwick (Oct. 1, 2020)
Soccer - Maddie Algya (Sept. 10, 2020)
Men's Basketball - Freddie Gillespie (March 26, 2020)
Women's Track & Field - Tuesdi Tidwell (March 20, 2020)
Women's Basketball - Moon Ursin (March 5, 2020)
Men's Track & Field - Cole Hardan (Feb. 27, 2020)
Volleyball - Shelly Stafford (Jan. 30, 2020)
Men's Golf - Mike McGraw (Jan. 3, 2020)
Volleyball - Yossiana Pressley (Dec. 5, 2019)
Baseball - Nick Loftin (Nov. 21, 2019)
Men's Cross Country - Ryan Day (Nov. 1, 2019)
Women's Cross Country - Lindsay Walton (Oct. 15, 2019)
Men's Basketball - Obim Okeke (Oct. 1, 2019)
Volleyball - Gia Milana (Sept. 17, 2019)
Soccer - Raegan Padgett (Sept. 5, 2019)
Football - Sam Tecklenburg (Aug. 29, 2019)
Men's Golf - Cooper Dossey (July 11, 2019)
Baseball - Richard Cunningham (June 27, 2019)
Men's Tennis - Jimmy Bendeck (June 14, 2019)
Baseball - Shea Langeliers (May 30, 2019)
Women's Track & Field - Kiana Horton (May 22, 2019)
Men's Golf - Garrett May (May 9, 2019)
Women's Golf - Maria Vesga (May 2, 2019)
Acrobatics & Tumbling - Camryn Bryant (April 25, 2019)
Equestrian - Shannon Hogue (April 16, 2019)
Women's Tennis - Angelina Shakhraichuk (April 9, 2019)
Women's Basketball - Lauren Cox (March 22, 2019)
Men's Track & Field - Wil London (March 7, 2019)
Men's Basketball - Jake Lindsey (March 4, 2019)
Softball - Nicky Dawson (Feb. 21, 2019)
Baseball - Josh Bissonette (Feb. 14, 2019)
Men's Tennis - Will Little (Jan. 31, 2019)
Men's Basketball - King McClure (Jan. 17, 2019)
Women's Basketball - Chloe Jackson (Jan. 3, 2019)
Football - Blake Blackmar (Dec. 13, 2018)
Volleyball - Braya Hunt (Nov. 29, 2018)
Soccer - Jackie Crowther (Nov. 16, 2018)
Women's Cross Country - Alison Andrews-Paul (Nov. 8, 2018)
Football - Ira Lewis (Nov. 6, 2018)

STARTED IN THE SADDLE

Players Mentioned

Madaline Callaway

Shea Langeliers

Will Little

Footer

STARTED IN THE SADDLE

Players Mentioned

Madaline Callaway

Shea Langeliers

Will Little

Related Videos

Promotional Background Photo

Footer