April 16, 2010

WACO, Texas – The South Carolina equestrian team is competing at the second day of competition at the 2010 Varsity Equestrian National Championships, hosted by Baylor University at the Heart O’Texas Fair Coliseum in Waco.

*All times are Central

10:13 p.m. – South Carolina’s Hunter Seat and Western teams both lost 6-2 to their opponents in the semifinals of their respective brackets.

The Hunter Seat team picked up two points in Equitation Over Fences from senior Megan Massaro and freshman Kimberly McCormack, but No. 2 seed Auburn defeated the Gamecocks 6-2.

The Western team was swept 4-0 by No. 6 seed Kansas State in Horsemanship, and the Gamecocks fell 6-2 to the Wildcats. South Carolina won two points in Reining, courtesy of wins by juniors Chloe Gray and Lydia Roof, who combined to go 6-0 at this year’s Varsity Equestrian National Championships.

Even though both squads are eliminated from championship contention, they will return to action tomorrow to compete for third-place in their respective brackets.

The Hunt Seat team will compete against Texas A&M for third place in the Hunter Seat bracket, while the Western team will compete against Georgia for third place in the Western bracket.

To everyone that followed our blog today, thank you very much for following the action here in Waco. This should be our final post of the evening. Goodnight from Waco!

8:58 p.m. – The Hunter Seat team was just mathematically eliminated by No. 2 seed Auburn after the Tigers picked up one point in Equitation Over Fences, securing their victory. Both teams will complete Equitation Over Fences in a few minutes as there are still three points left to be won. They currently lead the Gamecocks 5-0.

In the Western arena, the Gamecocks find themselves down 3-2 after dropping the first point in Horsemanship. There are still three points left to be won.

8:17 p.m. – In Equitation Over Fences, senior Nicole Bourgeois scored 152 and senior Megan Massaro scored 174. Since their opponents have not yet ridden, we do not know yet whether those scores will hold up to win points for the Gamecocks, who need a 4-0 sweep in the event to send the competition to a tiebreaker. Freshmen Kimberly McCormack and Alex Arute have not ridden yet.

In Horsemanship, senior captain Emily Bookwalter scored 140.5. There are three remaining Horsemanship riders left for the Gamecocks – senior Amy Biffle, junior Hailey Thornton, and sophomore Maggie Fortune.

8:01 p.m. – Competition is underway in both the Western and Hunt Seat arenas. In the Western ring, the Gamecocks have begun Horsemanship, and they currently are tied 2-2 with Kansas State.

In the Hunter Seat arena, the Gamecocks just begun Equitation Over Fences, and need to sweep the event 4-0 to send the competition to a tiebreaker which will be determined based on both t eams’ raw scores.

Senior Nicole Bourgeois’ hopes of winning an individual national championship ended just a few minutes ago as she lost in the opening round of the Equitation Over Fences individual bracket.

6:54 p.m. – In the Western competition between the sixth-seeded Gamecocks and No. 6 seed Kansas State, both teams are tied 2-2 after Reining. Horsemanship, the final event of the competition, is scheduled to begin shortly.

In the Hunter Seat competition between South Carolina and No. 2 seed Auburn, the Tigers lead the Gamecocks 4-0 after sweeping Carolina in Equitation on the Flat. Equitation Over Fences, the final event of the competition, will begin in a few minutes as the horses are warming up now.

5:58 p.m. – In the Hunt Seat arena, the Gamecocks were swept 4-0 by Auburn in Equitation on the Flat. Equitation Over Fences will begin soon . South Carolina has a strong group of jumpers that swept Oklahoma State 4-0 early today in quarterfinal action. The Gamecocks will need to win all four points in Equitation Over Fences in order to send it to a tiebreaker.

In the Western arena, the Gamecocks have an early 2-0 lead on wins by juniors Chloe Gray and Lydia Roof in Reining, marking the third victory for each in this year’s Championships. Amanda Pope has already completed her ride, leaving freshman Audrey Jewell as the remaining Gamecock yet to ride. There are still two points that can be won in Reining.

5:35 p.m. – The first set of reiners just finished up. Two of South Carolina’s four riders were in the first group. Junior Lydia Roof scored a 129.5 for the Gamecocks and freshman Amanda Pope scored a 131. The second group should begin in just a few minutes as junior Chloe Gray and freshman Audrey Jewell will be competing. There are four points to be earned in Reining.

4:50 p.m. – The Western bracket semifinal competition between No. 10 seed South Carolina and No. 6 seed Kansas State is officially underway as the Reining portion of the competition just started.

The Hunter Seat bracket semifinal between No. 3 seed South Carolina and No. 2 seed Auburn is also underway, as both teams just started Equitation on the Flat.

3:25 p.m. – Senior Carly Babcock’s quest for an individual national championship ended in the opening round of the Equitation on the Flat individual bracket just a few minutes ago. Carly lost 163-161 to Elizabeth Solch from Texas A & M.

Senior Nicole Bourgeois will be competing in the opening round of the Equitation Over Fences individual bracket later this evening.

The draw has been done for the Western and Hunt Seat team’s semifinal competitions. The competitions are running approximately an hour behind schedule, but both teams will be competing in their semifinal competitions this evening.

12:48 p.m. – The Gamecocks are in the middle of their afternoon lunch break right now, and will begin semifinal action later this afternoon.

The No. 10 seed Western team will compete against No. 6 seed Kansas State in the semifinals. The Gamecocks beat No. 7 seed New Mexico State on Thur sday, and just beat No. 2 seed Auburn in the morning competition.

Assistant coach Ruth Sorrel has made her lineup – In Horsemanship, the Gamecocks will use the same lineup that defeated Auburn. Seniors Amy Biffle, Emily Bookwalter, junior Hailey Thornton, and sophomore Maggie Fortune will compete for the Gamecocks. In Reining, juniors Chloe Gray and Lydia Roof will remain in the Carolina lineup along with freshman Annie McDonald. Freshman Amanda Pope will enter the lineup after competing y esterday.

Head coach Boo Major and assistant coach Alixe Schwartz have made their Hunter Seat lineups as the No. 3 seed Gamecocks get ready to compete against No. 2 seed Auburn. In Equitation on the Flat, seniors Carly Babcock, Megan Massaro, Alex Haskell will remain in the lineup along with freshman Kimberly McCormack. In Equitation Over Fences, the only change to South Carolina’s lineup will have freshman Alex Arute joining Massaro, McCormack, and senior Nicole Bourgeois.

12:12 p.m. – Biffle’s opponent from Auburn scored a 137.5, giving the No. 10 seed Gamecocks the point and the 4-3 victory over No. 2 Auburn. South Carolina now advances to the semifinals, where they will compete against No. 6 seed Kansas State later this afternoon.

Also today for the Gamecocks, the Hunter Seat team will compete against No. 2 seed Auburn in the Hunter Seat semifinals.

Seniors Carly Babcock and Nicole Bourgeois will begin competition in the individuals bracket shortly. Babcock will compete in the Equitation on the Flat individual bracket, and Bourgeois will compete in the Equitation Over Fences individual bracket.

12:00 p.m. – Amy Biffle just completed her re-ride, and scored a 141.5, which was even better than her score from her initial ride. Junior Lydia Roof, who picked up a win during this morning’s Reining event, said Biffle’s 141.5 is going to be a tough score to beat. After the horse receives a several-minute break, Biffle’s opponent from Auburn will attempt her re-ride.

11:49 a.m. – In the Western arena, down 3-2 with only two points left to be won, sophomore Maggie Fortune delivered for the Gamecocks, defeating her Auburn opponent to even the score at 3-3.

Senior Amy Biffle had a near perfect ride for the Gamecocks, but her opponent from Auburn was awarded a re-ride after being unable to control her horse. This final ride will determine the winner of the competition.

D langs/en.js” type=”text/javascript”> uring the break before the re-ride, the Gamecocks and Auburn are dueling off with back-and-forth school chants.

11:34 a.m. – The Hunter Seat team just wrapped up competition in Equitation Over Fences… the Gamecocks swept the event 4-0, with Gamecock wins coming from seniors Eleanor Kunsman, Nicole Bourgeois, Megan Massaro, and Kimberly McCormack. With the 4-0 sweep in Equitation Over Fences, South Carolina defeats Oklahoma State 6-2.

The No. 3 seed Gamecocks advance to face No. 2 seed Auburn later this afternoon in the semifinals. The winner of the South Carolina/Auburn competition will advance to face the winner of Georgia/Texas A&M in Saturday’s championship.

In the Western arena right now, the Gamecocks and Tigers are competing in Horsemanship. South Carolina got a crucial tie from senior captain Emily Bookwalter, who was competing against Auburn’s top Western rider, preventing the Tigers from scoring a point. Auburn has won one-point so far in Horsemanship and leads the overall competition 3-2 with two points left to be earned.

10:07 a.m. – The Western team is tied with Auburn 2-2 after Reining. The Gamecocks picked up two points on wins by juniors Chloe Gray and Lydia Roof. Horsemanship, the final event of the Western competition, will begin shortly.

The Hunter Seat team just wrapped up Equitation on the Flat, and is tied 2-2 with Oklahoma State. The Gamecocks picked up two points on wins by seniors Alex Haskell and Megan Massaro. Equitation Over Fences is beginning in just a few minutes.

9:12 a.m. – Competition is underway for both the Gamecock Western and Hunter Seat teams. In the Western arena, the No. 10 seed Gamecocks are competing against No. 2 seed Auburn in Reining. The Horsemanship competition will begin shortly after noon. The Tigers received a first round by in the Western bracket, and the Gamecocks defeated No. 7 seed New Mexico State yesterday.

In the Hunter Seat arena, No. 3 seed South Carolina is competing against No. 6 seed Oklahoma State. The Gamecocks received a first-round by the Hunter Seat bracket, and the Cowgirls defeated SMU on Thursday to stay alive in the Championships. Currently, the two teams are competing in Equitation on the Flat. Equitation Over Fences will take place during the afternoon session.

Also on Friday, seniors Carly Babcock and Nicole Bourgeois begin their quest to win individual national championships, as both earned seeds in the individuals brackets. Babcock will be competing in Equiation on the Flat, while Bourgeois will be competing in Equiation Over Fences. Both seniors are experienced riders and have had successful regular seasons, so head coach Boo Major expects them to do well.