Texas A&M
DELAWARE STATE
Aggie Equestrian Downs Delaware State, 15-5
Jan 30, 2010 | Equestrian
Jan. 30, 2010
BRYAN, Texas - The third-ranked Texas A&M equestrian team started the spring season in style, winning its fifth consecutive show with a 15-5 victory over Delaware State Saturday afternoon at the Brazos County Expo Complex.
Temperatures hovered barely above freezing throughout the afternoon, but the cold did nothing to slow the Aggies (6-2) down as they won their 21st in a row at home. The Hornets fell to 0-6 with the loss.
"Today was a good day," head coach Tana McKay said. "We were glad to get back in the swing of things after a long break. I think the girls and horses were where they need to be. We've got to fine tune some stuff and work on a few things, though, as we look ahead to some big competition in the coming weeks."
The A&M hunter seat squad continued their hot streak, claiming their sixth win in a row with a 7-3 victory.
Over fences, A&M used two 80-plus point rides to win three of the five possible points. Leading the way was sophomore Lia Chafee, whose 83-67 win over Kayleigh Karnbach was her sixth in a row and earned her MVP honors for the second time this year.
Sophomore Elizabeth Solch paced a strong showing by the flat riders, matching a team season high with an 85-point ride and a 34-point win over DSU's Caroline Foltz. Solch's ride earned her MVP honors for the second straight show.
Of note, sophomores Jackie O'Connell (fences) and Maggie Earle (flat) each scored 85 points in exhibition rides.
"With the cold and the conditions we were having to deal with today, horses were little bit of challenge," hunter seat coach Linzy Woolf said. "But the girls handled the situation really well. We had some really high scores and I'm really pleased to see those. I was happy with the way everyone rode today."
The Texas A&M western team, meanwhile, extended its home unbeaten streak to 12 with an impressive 8-2 win.
The horsemanship squad won four of five rides in impressive fashion, as the top four scores were all season highs for the Aggies in the discipline. Taking high-point and MVP honors was junior Caroline Gunn (78), freshman Carey Nowacek (77) and sophomore Katie Lisabeth (76.5) also picked up wins on the day. Lisabeth matched her previous season best score, which was also A&M's best horsemanship tally on the year before Saturday.
"The team was very consistent today," horsemanship coach Beth Bass said. "This is one of the highest point totals we've had as a team of five, and I was very pleased with that. This should provide us some good momentum heading into an important stretch of the season."
The reiners also won four of five rides to wrap action on the day. Senior Maggie Gratny remained undefeated on the year and grabbed her second straight MVP award with a 71.5-65.5 win over the Hornets' Amanda Hotz.
"The reiners rode really well," McKay said. "Maggie had another good day for us, and we were excited to see her continue her unbeaten streak and earn another well-deserved MVP honor."
Texas A&M returns to action and opens a three-show road swing on Friday when the Aggies pull a rare doubleheader in the Metroplex. The A&M hunter seat squad will face SMU at 10 a.m. at the Mustangs' facility in Wilmer. Later in the evening, the western team will take the ring against TCU at 6 p.m. inside the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth.
Players Mentioned
