Erica riding Otis at Fresno State
Photo by Keith Kountz
By Carter Anderson
Erica Rosinski is from Charlotte, North Carolina, and is currently a senior on the Fresno State equestrian team in Fresno, California. She began her collegiate riding career in Las Cruces, New Mexico, at New Mexico State University. After Erica moved over 1,700 miles to pursue her dream of riding in college and fell in love with Mexican food, the equestrian program was removed from NMSU athletics. She decided to continue her collegiate equestrian career at Fresno State. From that point on, Erica became a Bulldog through and through, and represents her team and school not only in the saddle but also in front of a camera as a student reporter on Fresno State Focus, a student-run multimedia news organization.
Why did you choose the New Mexico State University equestrian team originally?
Before I went to college, I was told by a lot of people that I wasn’t going to be able to make it onto an NCEA team. That led me to not try to at all. I changed my tune last minute, and decided to pursue my dream of riding in college. By that time, the majority of teams didn’t have any spots left. New Mexico State reached out to me and asked me to come visit. I went and they offered me a scholarship right then and there. I decided to take a chance and moved across the country to ride for NMSU.
How did your experience at NMSU shape your decision to continue riding in college?
My coach redshirted me my freshman year at NMSU. I couldn’t be more grateful that she made that choice. I learned so much from scribing and just being on the team. That love for the format grew into my sophomore year. Then we got the news that they decided to cancel the program, and we were all heartbroken. Thanks to my experience at New Mexico, I knew that I wanted to continue riding in college. That desire led me to Fresno State!
Erica works as a student reporter on the Fresno Focus, a student run newscast at Fresno State.
Photo by Brittany Steel
What was your biggest take-away from NMSU?
My two years there showed me what it was like to be on a team and what it felt like to be a part of a family in my sport. Riding outside of school doesn’t have that same atmosphere. Yes, you have your barn family and support system around you, but it doesn’t have the same feeling that a team family brings to your life.
How would you describe your transfer experience?
Once New Mexico State cancelled their program, I started reaching out to other schools. I talked to Fresno State and they offered me a scholarship and I made the decision to move to California and drove from North Carolina to California in August.
What’s your favorite thing about being a student athlete at Fresno State?
From our academic advisor to our athletic trainer, so many people are there to help us succeed athletically and academically. I love being a part of the team, of course. We’ve grown so close and that has caused us to have a great year so far.
What are your plans after graduation?
I’m majoring in broadcast journalism. I like being on camera and behind the scenes. With that, I’m thinking about pursuing a career in lifestyle or entertainment reporting. A lot of that industry lives in Los Angeles and New York, so I’m hoping to find a job in one of those two cities. We’ll see how it goes!
What are your goals for your team in the spring semester?
I want to continue our success that we had in the fall semester. We’re ranked fourth at the moment, which is the highest we’ve been ranked in program history. I’m so proud of how hard we’ve worked and want to have more success in the spring semester.
