Feb. 3, 2012
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February 3, 2012
| Coach Major |
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 7 South Carolina hits the road on Saturday, as the Gamecocks will travel to Bishop, Ga., for a competition against No. 2 Georgia. Saturday’s meet will begin at 2 p.m. at the UGA Equestrian Complex. Admission is free.
“Georgia is a great team and they’ve had a great season so far, and it’s no secret how well they ride at home,” South Carolina head coach Boo Major said. “Coach Boenig has her team riding really well, and I think our girls know about the challenge ahead. Coming off Sunday’s meet against Oklahoma State, we only had a week to prepare for tomorrow but I think we’ve look good.”
LIVE SCORING
http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/w-equest/spec-rel/live-score11-sc.html
SCOUTING GEORGIA
The Bulldogs enter Saturday’s meet with a 6-1 record… Georgia stared the season 0-1 with a 13-10 loss at Texas A&M, but has won six in a row, including a 19-1 throttling of Delaware State on Nov. 18.
LAST TIME OUT
South Carolina and Georgia last met on Nov. 4 at One Wood Farm in Blythewood. The Bulldogs won three of four events – Horsemanship, Reining, and Equitation on the Flat – en route to an 11-9 victory. Despite MVP rides from Kimberly McCormack (Equitation on the Flat) and Cody McMillion (Reining), the Gamecocks won only one event – Equitation Over Fences.
AN EVEN SPLIT
South Carolina and Georgia have split the last two regular season meetings.
Georgia defeated the Gamecocks, 11-9, on Nov. 4 in Blythewood.
Prior to that meet, South Carolina edged the Bulldogs, 10-9 in a thrilling comeback. Down 9-6 heading into the final event of the day, South Carolina won four points in reining and got a crucial tie from then-senior Chloe Gray to pull off the one-point upset over then No. 3 Georgia. With the meet tied 9-9, Audrey Jewell entered the ring on Jazz, knowing that she would have to beat Georgia’s second-best score of the event, 73.5. Jewell delivered, posting an event-high 75. The Western team dominated the performance, winning nine of 10 points, including a 5-0 sweep in Horsemanship. Ironically, Georgia’s Dana Wilson was named MVP in Horsemanship, despite losing to South Carolina’s Maggie Fortune, who posted an event-high 77.5 for the one-point win over Wilson.
HOME BARN ADVANTAGE
The Bulldogs boast a 44-1 all-time home dual-meet record at the UGA Equestrian Complex.
UNBEATABLE
Georgia’s Carly Anthony is an impressive 13-0 in Hunt Seat action this season. Anthony, the older sister of Gamecock freshman Alexa Anthony, has already won six MVP’s this season, including one in Equitation Over Fences in the Bulldogs 11-9 win in Blythewood on Nov. 4.
BACK ON TRACK
Sophomores Alison Ceresani and Johnna Letchworth both won their rides on Sunday and improved their individual records to 5-1. Ceresani defeated Oklahoma State’s Lauren Halvorson, 73.5-72.5, and Letchworth defeated the Cowgirls’ Mamie Tomlin, 75-71.5.
TOUGH `DAWG
Sophomore Johnna Letchworth is 3-2 all-time against Georgia, including an 0-1 mark at the UGA Equestrian Complex.
Letchworth is 20-3-1 all-time in regular-season meets. Two of those three losses have come at the hands of Georgia, both of which have come during fall meets.
During spring competitions against the Bulldogs, Letchworth is 3-0 all-time.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
South Carolina has four losses this season – two 10-10 tiebreaker losses and two more losses in which the Gamecocks scored nine points.
The Gamecocks dropped a 10-10 tiebreaker at Auburn on Oct. 8, losing in raw scores. South Carolina lost another 10-10 tiebreaker on Oct. 29 at New Mexico State.
South Carolina has lost its last two meets while still managing to put up nine points. On Nov. 4 against Georgia, the Gamecocks fell 11-9. The Gamecocks lost their first meet of the spring semester on Sunday, a 10-9 defeat at the hands of No. 6 Oklahoma State.
