By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bar Insider
            Even though Baylor equestrian's flat riders had been outscored, 12-3, in three previous meets, coach Casie Maxwell said it didn't surprise her when the 10^th-ranked Bears swept the five flat rides in a 12-7 upset of No. 1-ranked TCU Friday afternoon at the Willis Family Equestrian Center.
            Baylor (1-3, 1-1) picked up its first win of the season in its home opener, beating a No. 1-ranked team for the second time under Maxwell. The Bears knocked off No. 1 Auburn, the two-time defending national champion, 8-7, at the 2021 NCEA National Championship, snapping the Tigers' 42-meet winning streak.
            "It looks surprising on the season, if you look back at the stats," Maxwell said, "but I'm not surprised for them as their coach and just knowing their ability and capability going into this. They just needed to be in a confident environment and have all the things come together. Once you feel really confident walking into the pen, you're going to ride a whole lot better if you're not questioning anything."
            Senior Dominika Silvestri demonstrated that confidence when she gathered the flat riders before the second half of the meet and said, "Let's go! Let's go get this! It's our time."
            And then, she went out and set the tone, getting the first point of the second half with an 82-point ride on Worthy that beat TCU's Laurel Smith (77).
            "It was nice to have the first point and get the ball rolling," Silvestri said. "We've had some great rides the past three meets, but some not so great. So, being able to come out there and go 5-0 for the team was really great, because the Western side has definitely helped us sometimes. And it was great to help them back this time."
            Leading 5-4 at the halfway point, winning fences and splitting the horsemanship rides, the Bears clinched the meet with the 5-0 sweep in flat. Junior Madison Mitchell earned her first-career Most Outstanding Performer honor with an 83, and Baylor also got points in flat from freshman Lauren Reid (81) and sisters Annie Vorhies (83) and Madeline Vorhies (74).
            Maxwell said the team "came out on fire" from the start of the day, "doing chores and setting up and getting horses ready to the first ride of the arena to the last ride out of the arena."
            "I think it always helps to be at home," Maxwell said. "You have your whole team behind you, you have more parents in the stands, and you have the community behind you. You're just so much more sure and confident in your environment that you can always start stronger. Now, they've got to be able to do that on the road, that's the big challenge. But, they needed this today."
            The difference in a tight first half of the meet was a fences re-ride by Silvestri, scoring a season-high 86 on Teddy to earn her fourth-career MOP honor. Both Silvestri and TCU's Isabel Baxter were granted re-rides after scoring 43 and 40, respectively, when the horse stopped in the middle of the run.
            "She's had some bumps in the road in her entire career," Maxwell said of Silvestri. "She certainly knows how to perform in a high-pressure situation and how to be really good. And she showed that today."
            Reid (83) and Madeline Vorhies (82) also picked up points for the Bears for a 3-2 win in fences. In a 2-2 split in horsemanship, senior Elsie Naruszewicz earned her second-career MOP honor, sophomore Nadalee Vasquez won her head-to-head ride and junior Isabella Rosa tied TCU's Jessica McAllister with a 76.5-point ride on Zip.
            TCU got its only win of the meet in reining (3-2), but senior Jenna Meimerstorf grabbed her second-career MOP award with a 72.5-point ride on Star after the Horned Frogs' Shea Graham got a zero score on a review.
            "I showed Star and actually had a MOP on her two years ago," Meimerstorf said, "so it's really special to come out here and do it again. She's always a fun horse to show. Challenging, but it's always a good time."
            Facing their fifth-straight ranked team, the Bears will take on No. 2 SMU (1-0) in two weeks at the Dallas Equestrian Center.
            "I think today definitely reassures our team," Maxwell said. "We have the ability to beat the No. 1 team in the country. We've got the ability to beat anyone. We just have to be really good against the caliber of teams that are on our schedule this year, whether that's at home or on the road. TCU came and brought their 'A' game today, but our team rose to the challenge."


WACO, Texas – No. 10 Baylor equestrian (1-3, 1-1) upset No. 1 TCU (3-1, 0-1) Friday afternoon at the Willis Family Equestrian Center in Waco by a final of 12-7.

Behind an event win in Fences and a tie in Horsemanship, Baylor took a 5-4 lead into halftime. Then, the Bears made use of a 5-0 sweep in Flat to clinch the victory over the top-ranked Horned Frogs. To round out the afternoon, the Bears picked up another two points in Reining to see out the victory.

Dominika Silvestri (Fences), Madison Mitchell (Flat), Elsie Naruszewicz (Horsemanship) and Jenna Meimerstorf (Reining) were each named Most Outstanding Performers in their respective events.

THE RUNDOWN
To start the day, Baylor grabbed an event win in Fences, 3-2. Lauren Reid (83) and Maddie Vorhies (82) put up points for the Bears, and then Silvestri (86) followed suit after being granted a re-ride.

Meanwhile in Horsemanship, large scores from Nadalee Vasquez (78.5) and Naruszewicz (78) resulted in tallies for BU. Bella Rosa tied her head-to-head with a career-high 76.5 and helped the Bears take a 5-4 lead into the halftime break.

Following the pause, the Bears came out swinging in Flat to the tune of a 5-0 sweep, their first in the event since Feb. 28, 2020 against South Dakota State. Annie Vorhies (83), Mitchell (83), Silvestri (82), Lauren Reid (81) and Maddie Vorhies (74) each put points on the board to extend the lead.

Finally, Meimerstorf (72.5) and Andie Pratt (71.5) won their matchups to round out the action in Reining.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor collected an event win in Fences for the first time this season with a 3-2 victory.
• BU also recorded its first event win in Flat this year with a 5-0 victory.
• The sweep in Flat marked Baylor's first such accomplishment since defeating South Dakota State 4-0 on Feb. 28, 2020.
• Dominika Silvestri was named the Most Outstanding Performer in Fences for the fourth time in her career after scoring a season-high 86.
• Madison Mitchell earned her first-career Most Outstanding Performer honor in Flat with an 83.
• Elsie Naruszewicz picked up her second-career Most Outstanding Performer nod in Horsemanship with a score of 78.
• Jenna Meimerstorf collected her second-career Most Outstanding Performer in Reining (both on Star) with a 72.5.
• Lauren Reid won her first-career points in Fences with an 83 on Lily and in Flat with an 81 on Capi.
• Nadalee Vasquez tallied a career-high 78.5 in Horsemanship, the highest score by a Bear in the event this year.
• Bella Rosa scored a career-high 76.5 in Horsemanship.
 
STAT OF THE MEET
5-0 – Baylor's 5-0 sweep in Flat proved to be the difference maker in today's meet.

QUOTABLE
Head coach Casie Maxwell
On takeaways from today's win…
"I think today definitely reassures our team. We have the ability to beat the number one team in the country. We've got the ability to beat anyone. We just have to be really good against the caliber of teams that are on our schedule this year, whether that's at home or on the road. TCU came and brought their A-game today, but our team rose to the challenge. I think this definitely gives us a big boost of confidence to finish out the fall semester."

On the team's performance in Flat…
"Flat was just outstanding today. 5-0, they needed that more than anything. That is exactly how capable they are. I'm just really impressed with them and proud of them for sending us over the edge today."

Jumping Seat Senior Dominika Silvestri
On the turning point in the second half…
"We had a great attitude going in to Flat. I actually gathered the girls around and didn't really know what to say, but I got them together and said 'Let's go, let's go get this, it's ours, it's our time,' and then to start the second half with the first point really got us rolling. Being able to come out and go 5-0 for the team was great."

Reining Senior Jenna Meimerstorf
On defeating the number one team in the nation…
"It feels really incredible. We have worked hard all week just to come back together as a team and gain some momentum in order for today to happen. So, it was really awesome to get this win. I am so proud of the team."
 
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 10 Baylor (1-3, 1-1) heads north to take on No. 2 SMU (1-0, 0-0) on Friday, Nov. 4, at the Dallas Equestrian Center. Start time is still to be determined.

To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor equestrian, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorEQ.