April 17, 2008
Complete First Round Results in PDF Format 
VENC Bracket and Schedule in PDF Format
WACO, Texas – The South Carolina equestrian team began action Thursday at the Varsity Equestrian National Championships with the Western team’s 6-1 victory against Stephen F. Austin at the Heart of Fair Texas Complex on the campus of Baylor University. The No. 6 Gamecocks will take on No. 3 Oklahoma State in Friday’s second round.
The Gamecocks took a 3-1 victory in reining and a 3-0 win in horsemanship to advance against 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin. In reining, freshman Kyla Thurlow led the Gamecocks with a 143-141 victory over Kyra Cruse. The win is the second consecutive for Thurlow after she took a victory over Georgia at the Southern Equestrian Championship finals. Freshman Chloe Gray recorded a 141.5-135.5 victory while senior Allison Bradley improved her win streak to seven rides with a 130.5-0 showing after her competitor Jenny Martin had a disqualification.
None of Carolina’s four horsemanship riders took a loss Thursday as they recorded three wins and a tie. Junior Katie Grossnickle continued her strong riding with a 146-130.5 win, giving her the second-best score of the day from all 32 horsemanship riders for the eight teams competing. The Biffle sisters secured the first round win after defeating their opponents. Senior Katy Biffle took a 141-137 victory while sophomore Amy Biffle won 145-126 to conclude the scoring. Bradley also competed in horsemanship and recorded a 140.5-140.5 tie in her ride.
With the win over Stephen F. Austin, the Gamecock Western team will take on Oklahoma State in the second round. The Hunter Seat team earned a first round bye and will compete against No. 5 Auburn in the second round Friday. Auburn recorded an 8-0 victory against Stephen F. Austin in the first round of Hunter Seat competition.
