April 22, 2004

Columbia,S.C. – The University of South Carolina equestrian team travels to Conyers,Ga. for the Varsity Equestrian Championships this weekend, April 23-24. The competition will be co-hosted by the Auburn Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs at the Georgia International Horse Park. Friday’s events are scheduled to begin at 8a.m. This is the Gamecocks’ first trip to Conyers this season. The team traveled to Rome, Ga. three times this earlier in the year, which resulted in solid performances each trip.

This is the South Carolina’s first competition since competing in the Zone 5 Finals April 3-4. During the Zone 5 Finals, USC had four riders qualify for the Varsity Equestrian Championships this weekend. The qualifiers include seniors Lindsey Wilson and Kyra Hufford. Hufford qualified in Walk, Trot and Canter and was also named reserve champion in her division. Freshman Rachel Sternoff also qualified by winning Open Horsemanship.

The Gamecocks will compete against 11 other programs in addition to the Tigers and Bulldogs. The Gamecocks suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of the Bulldogs on Feb.13 in Columbia. The Bulldogs prevailed by a slim margin when they competed in Columbia back on Feb. 13.

The next competition for USC is the IHSA Nationals on May 7-9 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.