No. 10 EQ Defeats No. 6 Fresno State, 12-5

Friday, October 31

Waco, Texas

11 a.m.

Baylor

Fresno State

No. 10 EQ Defeats No. 6 Fresno State, 12-5

10/31/2025 3:09:00 PM | Equestrian

Box Score (PDF)

Bears ride strong first half to first victory of 25-26 campaign

WACO, Texas – No. 10 Baylor equestrian defeated No. 6 Fresno State, 12-5, on Friday at the Willis Family Equestrian Center in Waco.

The Bears made use of a strong first half that included a 5-0 sweep in Flat and a 3-0 shutout in Reining, then carried momentum into the latter stages picking up four more points in Fences for their first win of the season.

Jumping Seat senior Lauren Reid continued her hot streak to open the 25-26 campaign with her fourth Most Outstanding Performer award in as many meets after posting an 89 in Fences to match her personal best. Fifth-year Jumping Seat senior Lauren Stebbins earned her first-career MOP with a career-high 82.5 in Flat. Reining senior Kalena Reynolds collected her second-career MOP honor with an event-high 71.5.

THE RUNDOWN
Baylor got out to a hot start with a 5-0 sweep in Flat behind points from Reid (81), Morgan McCarthy (80), Grace O'Connell (78.5), Caroline Robelen (77.5) and MOP Stebbins (82.5) who posted an event-high score after a re-ride.

"It definitely threw my plan off, because the two horses were really different" Stebbins said of the re-ride. "But just was thinking of all that I worked on in practice this week, staying calm and being confident. We've put in a lot of work, so I just felt ready."

Meanwhile in Reining, Reynolds (71.5), Bella Hehr (71.25) and Sadie Peters (70) put points on the board while Britt McIlnay (69) and Riley Cachat (68) each tied their matchups to shut the Bulldogs out and take an 8-0 lead into the halftime break.

"Really good showing from them today," said head coach Casie Maxwell of the reiners. "They've been working incredibly hard to be able to clean up the work they're doing without leaving doors open and leaving space to get beat. Just really proud of them and their execution today."

Horsemanship kicked of the second stage of the meet and Fresno State cut into the deficit with a 4-0 event win. Anna Thron was the bright spot for the Bears, tying her point at 71.25 to avoid an event sweep.

To round out the meet, BU pulled away in Fences with a 4-1 event victory behind Reid's stellar 89 ride and more points from McCarthy (85.5), Katie Smith (85.5) and Lauren Jorgensen (79).

HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor picked up its first event win of the year in Flat, a 5-0 sweep.
• This marks Flat's first 5-0 sweep since March 7, 2025, at South Dakota State.
• BU also earned its first event win of the year in Reining, a 3-0 shutout.
• This marks the Bears' first Reining shutout since Feb. 4, 2023, against Minnesota-Crookston and first such shutout with at least three points since Sept. 30, 2022, at Georgia.
• Baylor's Fences collected its second-consecutive 4-1 event win.
• Sophomore Grace O'Connell made her 2025-26 season debut in Flat and won her point with a career-high 78.5.
• Jumping Seat freshman Morgan McCarthy set a career high with an 85.5 in Fences.
• Reining junior Sadie Peters scored a season-high 70.
• Jumping Seat senior Lauren Reid tied her career high in Fences with an 89.
• Reining senior Kalena Reynolds scored a season high with a 71.5.
• Jumping Seat sophomore Katie Smith scored a career-high 85.5 in Fences.
• Fifth-year Jumping Seat senior Lauren Stebbins scored a career-high 82.5 in Flat.

STAT OF THE DAY
3-0 – Baylor claimed Reining 3-0 for the event's first shutout with at least three points scored in over three years.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Casie Maxwell
On collecting the first win of the season…
"This was a hard-earned and much-deserved win for this team. Playing three on the road to open the season is incredibly hard, and against three really good teams, but our team has just been getting better every single day. To be able to see that externally now is exactly what they needed, to have that boost of confidence. We have a very capable team and they didn't let off the gas today, so very proud of them. We've got to continue to grow, continue to get better and we're going to continue to see hard opponents, but this was definitely a big step in the right direction."

On what Lauren Reid means to this team…
"It's indescribable. She's exactly what you look for in a student-athlete. She's a great leader, she's a great teammate, she's a great role model, she's a great example, she's a great supporter. She just does everything so well at such a high level. She competes against herself every single day and that's what sets her apart. She won't settle for anything less than what she's capable of, that's just who she is as a competitor. She's easy to coach, she's fun to coach and I just really appreciate having her."

Jumping Seat Senior Lauren Reid
On what's inspired her hot start to the season and being a leader on the team…
"I think just riding with all I have. It's my last year, trying not to dwell on that, taking it as an opportunity to leave it all out there in the arena this year for sure. I feel like I've definitely stepped up into a leadership role over the past couple of seasons, and I think really this year it's just leading by example has been a big part of it."

Jumping Seat Fifth-Year Senior Lauren Stebbins
On the 5-0 sweep in Flat…
"It's a great day to be a Bear. We were all so fired up. It's been a lot of work in and out of the saddle, but it's been so fun so we're super excited."

WHAT'S NEXT
No. 10 Baylor (1-3, 1-1) continues its fall slate with a road matchup at No. 5 Oklahoma State (1-1, 0-1) on Friday, Nov. 7, at the Pedigo-Hull Equestrian Center in Stillwater, Okla. First ride is set for Noon.

To stay up to date on all things Baylor equestrian, follow @BaylorEQ on X, Instagram and Facebook.

-BaylorBears.com-