Jan. 29, 2011

WACO, TX – No. 6 South Carolina will close out its Texas road trip on Sunday, when the Gameocks face No. 8 Baylor at the Willis Family Equestrian Center.

The Gamecocks are 2-5 and coming off a loss to Delaware State on Saturday, while the Bears are 5-4 after defeating Delaware State on Saturday.

“Baylor has consistently been a great team throughout the years, and they continue to be one of the top teams around,” South Carolina head coach Boo Major said. “They’ve had some impressive wins this season, and three of their four losses have been by three points or less, so they could very easily be 8-1 right now. Our girls know we’re up against a good team on Sunday, so hopefully we can end this road trip with a win.”

In Equitation Over Fences, Kimberly McCormack, Carolyn Curcio, Morgan Hale, Alex Arute, and Paige Dekko will compete for the Gamecocks. Curcio is 5-2 in the jumping event this season and won her first MVP of the season on Saturday, after defeating her Delaware State opponent.

In Equitation on the Flat, McCormack, Curcio, and Dekko will remain in the lineup for South Carolina. They will be joined in the lineup by junior Colvin Hedgepeth and freshman Emma Johnson. Johnson is coming off an 88-86 victory over her opponent at No. 1 Texas A&M on Friday.

In Horsemanship, Hailey Thornton, Maggie Fortune, Johnna Letchworth, Katie Kopf, and Taylor Singmaster will go against Baylor’s riders. Thornton evened her record at 3-3 yesterday, and Letchworth is now 4-1-1 and won both of her weekend rides against Texas A&M and Delaware State.

In Reining, senior captain Chloe Gray looks to extend her MVP-winning streak against the Bears. Gray has won the reining MVP in South Carolina’s last three competitions, all of which have come on the road. Joining her in Sunday’s lineup will be Annie McDonald, Audrey Jewell, Melia Blakely, and Melody Malbin.

Live Scoring link – http://gamecocksonline.cstv.com/sports/w-equest/stats/baylor-013011.html