Three years and 700 miles later, she is now the head coach of the No. 5 team in the nation. That ranking came after defeating two top-10 programs in three events during their fall season. Lisabeth spent her first two years in Manhattan serving as the co-head coach of the varsity Wildcat equestrian program, before taking over as head coach this season.
But despite the distance from her previous home in College Station, she said the city of Manhattan as well as Kansas State University reminded her greatly of her life in Texas as a student and coach.
"I have that same hometown feel that I was so comfortable with for five years," Lisabeth said. "That made me very comfortable in accepting a position and starting a life up here."
Her Wildcats are fresh off of a 10-9 win at home over fourth-ranked Baylor on Oct. 17. The win pushed the unranked Wildcats all the way to the No. 5 spot of the Varsity Equestrian Coaches Poll.
"Getting that community recognition and being the number five team in the country was something that I think we have all dreamed about for quite a while now," senior Alyssa Freeman said. "But we all have come to the personal decision and coach reminded us that we need to be very humble about it because we have a lot of work ahead of us this fall."
With the victory over Baylor, the Wildcats improved to 2-0 on the fall season as well as an impressive showing at the IHSA Hunt Seat Shows earlier this year, where Lisabeth saw five of her riders receive first-place finishes.
This weekend, they will look to repeat that success as they continue their string of home events, hosting the fourth-ranked Oklahoma State Cowgirls. The meeting with Oklahoma State will mark the third consecutive Top-10 opponent on the Wildcats' fall schedule.
"It's a really big match for us," Lisabeth said. "We're going to need a strong ride across the board, and it is really going to take everyone to pull out this win. I think we are perfectly capable of doing it and we are more than prepared to do it."
Despite the tough fall schedule, Lisabeth said the luxury of a roster full of veterans, combined with her relationship with the players in her program has boosted her program to the early success they are experiencing.
That structure and unity that her team is competing with, Lisabeth says, is from the relationships she has built with her riders throughout the previous two years while she served as co-head coach. It was a time in which she saw a great amount of success as she led her Western squad to top six finishes nationally in each of those two years.
"Very quickly from the first time I got here she [Lisabeth] has put into each and everyone of us exactly what we have put in to the program." Freeman said. "She is there for everyone of us."
The Wildcats will look to continue to build on their chemistry and record as they face Oklahoma State on Saturday. The event will begin at 10 a.m.
