Texas A&M
Baylor (Western Quarterfinals)
Aggie Riders Advance to Semifinals of Varsity Equestrian National Championships
Apr 15, 2010 | Equestrian
April 15, 2010
Western Day 1 Results (PDF)
Hunter Seat Day 1 Results (PDF)
WACO, Texas - Texas A&M advanced both its squads to the semifinals of the Varsity Equestrian National Championships on Thursday afternoon at the Heart O' Texas Fair Complex.
The top-seeded western riders defeated No. 9-seed and host Baylor, 5-3, in quarterfinal action, while the fourth-seeded hunter seat squad downed No. 12-seed TCU, 6-2.
Both teams will meet Georgia in Friday's semifinals, scheduled to get underway in the afternoon. The Bulldogs are the top seed in the hunter seat bracket and the No. 5 seed on the western side.
In the win over the Bears by the western riders, A&M claimed five of eight rides to push through to the semifinal round. For the reiners, senior Maggie Gratny, junior Caroline Gunn and freshman Carey Nowacek scored for the Aggies.
"It was a tough day out there for us with some close rides, but we managed to keep our heads on and finish out some of the rides we needed to," head coach Tana McKay said. "We need to clean up some mistakes, but overall the girls rode well and I am happy with the outcome."
On the hunter seat side, A&M won six of eight rides over the 12th-seeded Horned Frogs in a match that was closer than the final score indicated. Senior Brittney Dodson and Christina Heine joined freshman Kristin Bell with wins on the flat.
"The girls were mentally focused today and ready, and I think that showed," hunter seat coach Linzy Woolf said. "They've put in a lot of time and preparation for nationals. TCU gave us a run for our money--a lot of the scores were close--but we were able to step up and get the points where we needed to. We're excited to move on to the semifinals."
Semifinal team action will take place Friday afternoon, as will the first rounds of the individual brackets. A&M has five riders in the individual competitions--Gunn and Nowacek in horsemanship, Gratny in reining, Maggie Earle over fences and Elizabeth Solch on the flat.
VARSITY EQUESTRIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
SCHEDULE AND RESULTS - TEXAS A&M
Western Team Competition
Thursday (Quarterfinals) - No. 1 Texas A&M def. No. 9 Baylor, 5-3
Friday (Semifinals) - No. 1 Texas A&M vs No. 5 Georgia
Hunter Seat Team Competition
Thursday (Quarterfinals) - No. 4 Texas A&M def. No. 12 TCU, 6-2
Friday (Semifinals) - No. 1 Georgia vs No. 4 Texas A&M
Individual Competitions (Quarterfinals - all scheduled for Friday)
Horsemanship - No. 1 Caroline Gunn (A&M) vs No. 8 Alicia Shrum (Georgia)
Horsemanship - No. 2 Carey Nowacek (A&M) vs No. 7 Mikaela Sundgren (Kansas State)
Reining - No. 1 Maggie Gratny (A&M) vs No. 8 Lyndsey Jordan (Auburn)
Equitation over Fences - No. 8 Maggie Earle (A&M) vs No. 1 Maggie McAlary (Auburn)
Equitation on the Flat - No. 5 Elizabeth Solch (A&M) vs No. 4 Carly Babcock (South Carolina)
VENC Results and Info: http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/w-equest/10-natl-champ.html
Players Mentioned
