Creswell’s Freestyle Fours Drill Team won its event during both the Meet 2 and Meet 3 portions of the recent district ”super-meet.” From left: Ashley Anderson, Levi Bones, Jane Marquess and Grace Haga. Photo Provided/Katherine Wooldridge
Ashley Anderson, Levi Bones and Grace Haga of Team Penning set South Valley District and state-timed event records – and earned an automatic bid to state – by penning three cows in only 28.37 seconds as Creswell High School’s equestrian team competed in an OHSET (Oregon High School Equestrian Teams) ”super-meet” held April 4-7 at Oregon Horse Center in Eugene.
The special four-day meet, in which athletes competed in two rounds of each event, combined OHSET South Valley District Meet 2 – canceled because of the early March snowstorm – and April’s Meet 3.
Anderson, Levi Bones and Haga posted their record-breaking Team Penning win during the Meet 3 portion of the event.
Also garnering wins during the ”super-meet” were the team of Anderson, Levi Bones, Haga and Jane Marquess (with Gracie Bones as alternate) in Freestyle Fours (Meets 2 and 3); the team of Anderson, Levi Bones, Gracie Bones and Haga in Canadian Flags (Meet 2); and the team of Levi Bones and Haga in Two-Man Birangle (Meet 2).
In Meet 2 top-10 finishes, Levi Bones placed third in Working Rancher and fifth in Steer Daubing; Grace Haga placed third in Barrels, sixth in Figure 8 and seventh in Steer Daubing; Anderson placed fourth and Gracie Bones placed seventh in Working Rancher; Marquess placed eighth in Steer Daubing; Gracie Van Zandt placed ninth in Trail Equitation.
The team of Anderson, Levi Bones, Haga and Van Zandt placed fourth in Team Versatility; Anderson and Levi Bones placed third while Gracie Bones and Katie Rule placed 10th in Working Pairs.
In Meet 3 top-10 finishes, the team of Anderson, Levi Bones, Haga and Van Zandt placed second in Team Versatility; the team of Anderson, Gracie Bones, Levi Bones and Haga placed second in Canadian Flags; Haga placed second in Steer Daubing, fifth in Figure 8 and seventh in Barrels; Anderson placed third in Working Rancher and ninth in Reining; Haga placed fourth in Pole Bending; Marquess placed fourth in Steer Daubing; and Levi Bones placed fourth in Working Rancher and sixth in Individual Flags.
Levi Bones and Haga placed fourth while Anderson and Marquess placed sixth in Two-Man Birangle; Anderson and Levi Bones placed fifth in Working Pairs; Gracie Bones placed eighth in Working Rancher and 10th in Trail Equitation; the team of Gracie Bones, Marquess and Van Zandt placed ninth in Team Penning; and the team of Anderson, Gracie Bones, Levi Bones and Van Zandt placed 10th in In-Hand Obstacle Relay.
”I am extremely proud of this team. They set goals, achieved their goals, and forged successes we couldn’t even dream of,” said Creswell Head Coach Lauri Thomas. ”Throughout the season, their determination and drive – their willingness to work hard, come back and compete even harder – set them apart from other teams.”
With a successful regular season behind them and state on the horizon, Thomas also expressed appreciation to her coaching staff – Katy Bichsel, Hannah Thomas and Devan Work – ”for all their knowledge, expertise and time,” to team parents ”for their willingness to haul to practices up and down the valley” and ”to all our sponsors, for giving us the support that has enabled us to pursue our dreams.”
