March 24, 2017

AUBURN, Ala. – The University of South Carolina equestrian team fell to Georgia, 13-7, on Friday afternoon in the semifinals of the 2017 SEC Championship. With the loss, the Gamecocks (6-7) will face Texas A&M in the consolation round on Saturday.

Junior Bailey Walters won the lone MOP award for the Gamecocks on Friday. The Bourbon, Ind., native won her reining point, 142.5-141, to provide the day’s highlight for Carolina.

Top-seeded Georgia (10-4) will take on host Auburn for the 2017 SEC title on Saturday.

QUOTING HEAD COACH Boo Major

“That’s what we’re riding for now. We’ll be in the consolation bracket tomorrow, and it’s an opportunity for us to get out there and ride again, and get a little bit more mileage in front of a couple of judges before we go to Waco in a few weeks. It is important for us to get out there, and it is important for us to shake off this loss. This group is very resilient. I have no doubt they will bounce back.” – on the opportunity to build momentum tomorrow in the consolation meet

HORSEMANSHIP RECAP

Georgia won four of the five points in the first western event of the day. Carolina’s lone win came from Ashley Reichert, who defeated Payton Anderson, 151.5-149.5, on Manny.

EQUITATION OVER FENCES RECAP

Freshman Madison Sellman was the lone Gamecock to earn a jumping point as the Bulldogs collected four of the five pairings. Sellman’s 169 on Wizz was three points better than Liza Finsness, who tallied a 166.

EQUITATION ON THE FLAT RECAP

The Gamecocks took the first point on the flat, with Sydney Smith riding Calvin to a 133-114 victory over Sydney Hutchins. They also grabbed a victory from Chloe Schmidt, who edged Addyson Cord, 152-151, on Vinnie.

REINING RECAP

The Gamecocks had their most success in reining, where they won three points. Carolina was first to earn a victory, as Walters took down Claudia Spreng, 142.5-141, on Buddy. Two freshmen also came up big in the first postseason rides; Jordan Scott defeated Charley Thiel, 143.5-143, on Colonel and Caroline Gute earned a 143-141.5 victory over Graysen Stroud on Fred.

Walters earned her third MOP award of the season on Friday. It was the eighth of her collegiate career, tops on the team.

NOTABLE

– Sellman improved to 8-3 in equitation over fences this season, leading the Gamecocks in victories.
– Schmidt improved to 9-4 in equitation on the flat, best on the squad.
– Gute is now 6-0 this season against SEC opponents and owns a 9-1-2 reining record overall.
– The Gamecocks are now 5-4 all-time at the SEC Championship, including a 2-1 mark against Georgia.

UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS

South Carolina will face Texas A&M on Saturday in the SEC Championship consolation match. However, because of the threat of afternoon storms in the Auburn area, the championship match has been rescheduled to 9 a.m. CT with the third-place battle booked for 1:30 p.m. CT if the weather allows. Fans are encouraged to stay tuned to GamecocksOnline.com and @GamecockEQ on Twitter for the latest updates on the status of the meet.