University of Georgia Athletics
‘It’s Just A Dream Come True’
April 22, 2021 | Equestrian, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
The joy in the room Tuesday afternoon was palpable. It felt like there was enough elation and energy to lift up the building and everyone in it, like a scene from "Up."
Three days after winning the program's seventh national title, at the NCEA National Championships in Waco, Texas, the Georgia equestrian team, all dressed to the nines in its competition gear, was in the Turner Soccer Complex's dining/meeting space on Tuesday for a photoshoot with the Bulldogs' latest championship trophy.
The Bulldogs earned the big trophy, their first since 2014, by edging SMU, 9-7, in a tight and tense final at the Extraco Events Center. The championship came down to the last Reining ride, between Georgia's Courtney Blumer and SMU's Jill Pfisthner, atop, fittingly, Snoop Dog.
Blumer's score of 214.5 topped Pfisthner's 211.5, and the Bulldogs were again national champions.
"It was always a goal but I couldn't have ever dreamed about how that moment felt," said Blumer, a junior. "It's just a dream come true."
Georgia was the runner-up, what the NCEA calls the Reserve National Champions, in 2017, '18 and '19, so for head coach Meghan Boenig — "We've been a lot of bridesmaids," she said — it felt particularly special to see this team come out on top.
"This one felt incredible," said Boenig, the program's head coach since it was founded in 2001. "I cannot remember a championship experience where we really just enjoyed competing, enjoyed going against the teams we were, just knowing that we needed to lay out numbers and points, and we just had that great confidence and swagger to do so.
"It felt great, it really did. It still feels that way, we're still pinching ourselves. Just an incredible competition, and one that was fun."
Ali Tritschler was named the Most Outstanding Performer in the Flat competition and was named to the All-Championship Team in both of her events, the Flat and Fences. She won both of her matchups Saturday and she said through a big smile Tuesday that the joy and pride that came with winning a national championship wasn't wearing off any time soon.
"Not even close," she said. "I don't think it will wear off for a while."
Because of the down-to-the-wire finish Saturday, Tritschler said she went from feeling the tension and anxiousness of watching the final rides to suddenly realizing that Georgia was the national champion.
"It kind of just hit me like a bus," she said with a laugh.
Blumer made the All-Championship Team in Reining along with Jordan Carpenter, Leah Anderson made the Horsemanship team, Jordan Toering joined Tritschler on the Fences team, and Hayley Mairano joined Isabelle Heckler and Tritschler on the Flat team.
Seeded third at the NCEAs, Georgia defeated No. 6 TCU, 10-6, in the quarterfinals Thursday, and then advanced to the championship round with a 10-6 win over No. 2 Oklahoma State. After No. 8 Baylor knocked off top-seeded Auburn in the quarters, the event was very much up for grabs — and the Bulldogs grabbed it.
The championship meet began with the Flat, and out of the four head-to-head matchups, Georgia got wins from Mairano, Heckler and Tritschler. SMU then took three of four in Horsemanship to tie the meet 4-4.
"It was like, OK, they matched, so what are we going to do about it? They leveled the playing field and let's rise again," said Boenig, who was wearing her 2014 national championship ring Tuesday.
The third round was the Fences, and again Georgia took three of the four rides, getting wins from Mairano, Tritschler and Toering. That put the Bulldogs up 7-5 going into the final round, Reining. Georgia needed only two points to win the title — but they wouldn't come easily.
Each team earned a point out of the first two rides, with Lindsay Guynn getting the win for Georgia. SMU then won the third ride, cutting Georgia's lead to 8-7. If there was a tie after the final ride then the title would be decided based on overall points, and SMU would have won that. So the Bulldogs had to get a great, winning ride from Blumer.
"Who better to close it out than Courtney Blumer?" Boenig said. "She just went out and rode really, really well, and fortunately for us, SMU couldn't match."
For seniors like Tritschler and Heckler, their final rides for Georgia were key wins that helped the Bulldogs win a national championship. There's no better way to finish than that.
"I think that's all you can ever really hope for as a student-athlete in any sport," Tritschler said, "your last game, your last competition being your best and your team's best."
And at the end of the equestrian season, a season unlike any other because of the pandemic and all of the challenges it presented, Georgia was the team celebrating in Waco. The Bulldogs were champions, again.
Staff Writer
The joy in the room Tuesday afternoon was palpable. It felt like there was enough elation and energy to lift up the building and everyone in it, like a scene from "Up."
Three days after winning the program's seventh national title, at the NCEA National Championships in Waco, Texas, the Georgia equestrian team, all dressed to the nines in its competition gear, was in the Turner Soccer Complex's dining/meeting space on Tuesday for a photoshoot with the Bulldogs' latest championship trophy.
The Bulldogs earned the big trophy, their first since 2014, by edging SMU, 9-7, in a tight and tense final at the Extraco Events Center. The championship came down to the last Reining ride, between Georgia's Courtney Blumer and SMU's Jill Pfisthner, atop, fittingly, Snoop Dog.
Blumer's score of 214.5 topped Pfisthner's 211.5, and the Bulldogs were again national champions.
"It was always a goal but I couldn't have ever dreamed about how that moment felt," said Blumer, a junior. "It's just a dream come true."
Georgia was the runner-up, what the NCEA calls the Reserve National Champions, in 2017, '18 and '19, so for head coach Meghan Boenig — "We've been a lot of bridesmaids," she said — it felt particularly special to see this team come out on top.
"This one felt incredible," said Boenig, the program's head coach since it was founded in 2001. "I cannot remember a championship experience where we really just enjoyed competing, enjoyed going against the teams we were, just knowing that we needed to lay out numbers and points, and we just had that great confidence and swagger to do so.
"It felt great, it really did. It still feels that way, we're still pinching ourselves. Just an incredible competition, and one that was fun."
Ali Tritschler was named the Most Outstanding Performer in the Flat competition and was named to the All-Championship Team in both of her events, the Flat and Fences. She won both of her matchups Saturday and she said through a big smile Tuesday that the joy and pride that came with winning a national championship wasn't wearing off any time soon.
"Not even close," she said. "I don't think it will wear off for a while."
Because of the down-to-the-wire finish Saturday, Tritschler said she went from feeling the tension and anxiousness of watching the final rides to suddenly realizing that Georgia was the national champion.
"It kind of just hit me like a bus," she said with a laugh.
Blumer made the All-Championship Team in Reining along with Jordan Carpenter, Leah Anderson made the Horsemanship team, Jordan Toering joined Tritschler on the Fences team, and Hayley Mairano joined Isabelle Heckler and Tritschler on the Flat team.
Seeded third at the NCEAs, Georgia defeated No. 6 TCU, 10-6, in the quarterfinals Thursday, and then advanced to the championship round with a 10-6 win over No. 2 Oklahoma State. After No. 8 Baylor knocked off top-seeded Auburn in the quarters, the event was very much up for grabs — and the Bulldogs grabbed it.
The championship meet began with the Flat, and out of the four head-to-head matchups, Georgia got wins from Mairano, Heckler and Tritschler. SMU then took three of four in Horsemanship to tie the meet 4-4.
"It was like, OK, they matched, so what are we going to do about it? They leveled the playing field and let's rise again," said Boenig, who was wearing her 2014 national championship ring Tuesday.
The third round was the Fences, and again Georgia took three of the four rides, getting wins from Mairano, Tritschler and Toering. That put the Bulldogs up 7-5 going into the final round, Reining. Georgia needed only two points to win the title — but they wouldn't come easily.
Each team earned a point out of the first two rides, with Lindsay Guynn getting the win for Georgia. SMU then won the third ride, cutting Georgia's lead to 8-7. If there was a tie after the final ride then the title would be decided based on overall points, and SMU would have won that. So the Bulldogs had to get a great, winning ride from Blumer.
"Who better to close it out than Courtney Blumer?" Boenig said. "She just went out and rode really, really well, and fortunately for us, SMU couldn't match."
For seniors like Tritschler and Heckler, their final rides for Georgia were key wins that helped the Bulldogs win a national championship. There's no better way to finish than that.
"I think that's all you can ever really hope for as a student-athlete in any sport," Tritschler said, "your last game, your last competition being your best and your team's best."
And at the end of the equestrian season, a season unlike any other because of the pandemic and all of the challenges it presented, Georgia was the team celebrating in Waco. The Bulldogs were champions, again.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
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Western
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Western
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Western
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Jumping Seat
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