April 3, 2018
NCEA Championship Field Announced
WACO, Texas — The University of South Carolina equestrian team learned its postseason fate as the 2018 NCEA Championship field was announced Tuesday. The Gamecocks earned the No. 8 seed in the main national championship draw and will face top-seeded Georgia in the quarterfinals on Thursday, April 19 at 8:30 a.m. CT.
The Gamecocks also earned a spot in each of the four 15-team single-event brackets, which begin on Wednesday, April 18 at 8:30 a.m. CT. In equitation on the flat, the Gamecocks are seeded 10th and will take on seventh-seeded TCU. In equitation over fences, Carolina is the No. 6 seed and will face No. 11 Baylor.
On the western side, Carolina enters as the No. 11 seed in horsemanship and will ride against sixth-seeded Baylor in the opening round. In reining, the Gamecocks hold the No. 9 seed and will open the meet against No. 8 TCU.
The first round of the single-event brackets will be completed on April 18, and the both the quarterfinals and semifinals of the main draw will take place April 19. Single-event quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Friday, April 20, with all five national championships up for grabs on Saturday, April 21.
South Carolina is a three-time overall NCEA national champion, winning the title in 2005, 2007 and 2015. The Gamecocks were also hunter seat champions under a prior format in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
This is the first season that the NCEA will award national titles in each of the four disciplines, with winners to be crowned in equitation on the flat, equitation over fences, horsemanship and reining. There will also be hunt seat and western national champions based on the single-event brackets, while the overall national champion will come from the main draw.
The Gamecocks advanced to the quarterfinals of last season’s 12-team main draw, defeating South Dakota State in the opening round and falling to Auburn in the quarterfinals.
