April 12, 2013

Gamecock Equestrian on Facebook

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina equestrian coach Boo Major has been named SEC Coach of the Year, it was announced today. Major was voted Coach of the Year by her peers in the Southeastern Conference.

“This is a very humbling moment for me and I am honored to be named SEC Coach of the Year,” Major said. “While I am very proud to be this year’s winner, I owe all of our success first and foremost to our student-athletes who have committed themselves to excellence both in the classroom and in the competition arena. I also want to thank my assistant coaches Ruth Sorrel and Carol Gwin for their hard work, and to everybody in the athletics department for their help and support. Our University President Dr. Harris Pastides and Athletics Director Ray Tanner are great supporters of our program and we certainly appreciate everything they do to for us.”

Major, in her 16th season at South Carolina, led the Gamecocks to the inaugural SEC Championship last month. The Gamecocks upset then-No. 2 Auburn, 10-8, to win the SEC title on March 30. South Carolina advanced to the championship meet after knocking off then-No. 1 Georgia, 10-7, in the opening round on March 29. It marked the first SEC Championship win under Athletics Director Ray Tanner, the 11th SEC Championship at the University of South Carolina, and the seventh SEC Championship by a women’s sport at South Carolina.

Major has led the Gamecocks to two NCEA National Championships (2005, 2007) and three straight NCEA Hunter Seat National Championships (2005, 2006, 2007). Before the Southeastern Conference added an equestrian championship for the 2012-2013 season, Major also guided Carolina to its first Southern Equestrian Championship in 2012.

Since February 2012, the Gamecocks have four wins over No. 1 ranked teams (2/25/12 vs. No. 1 Auburn, 3/31/12 at No. 1 Georgia, 11/2/2012 at No. 1 Georgia, 3/29/13 vs. No. 1 Georgia).

South Carolina is currently the top-ranked equestrian team in the country in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association’s coaches poll.

The Gamecocks travel to Waco, Texas for the 2013 NCEA National Championships, which run April 18-20 at the Extraco Events Center.