Jan. 17, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Carolina head coach Boo Major has announced the signing of South Carolina native Aurie Engel Schmieding (Summerville, S.C./Pinewood Preparatory) to a National Letter of Intent to join the Gamecock equestrian team for the 2014-2015 season. Schmieding will ride with South Carolina’s western team and compete in reining.

“We’re very fortunate to have such a talented in-state girl like Aurie Engel sign with us,” Major said. “We don’t get many reiners from the state of South Carolina, but we’ve had some really good ones in Rebekah Roof and Lydia Roof and Cody McMillion, and we’re getting another talented one in Aurie Engel. She has a lot of experience in the IEA and we think that will benefit her a great deal when she joins us next year.”

Schmieding trains with Kevin Jewell and Chad Crosby. Jewell is the father of former Gamecock equestrian Audrey Jewell, who was a four-year letterwinner between 2009 and 2013, and was captain of the western team when Carolina won the 2013 SEC Championship.

In 2013, Schmieding was the NRHA Sliding Summer Classic Rookie Non-Pro Level 2 Champion. In 2012, she was the Interscholastic Equestrian Association Intermediate Reining National Champion. In 2011, she was the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) All-State Hunt Seat rider on the flat.

A senior at Pinewood Preparatory School in Summerville, Schmieding has a 3.65 GPA, making her a regular on the school’s faculty and headmaster’s honor roll. She is actively involved in Beta Club and student government. In 2010, Schmieding was on the girl’s varsity tennis team, and she was on the varsity and competitive cheerleading squads from 2011-2013. In 2011, she was named Varsity Cheerleading Rookie of the Year, and she was on the 2012 and 2013 competitive cheerleading teams that won back-to-back SCISA championships.

Her parents are Dana and Robyn Schmieding, and she has a sister, Ali Clines Schmieding that is on the equestrian team at St. Andrews University.

Schmieding signed with South Carolina over Auburn, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and Georgia.