Oct. 1, 2010
| Coach Major |
| Highlights |
BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. – The South Carolina equestrian team dropped its first competition of the season in a tie-break to Auburn on Friday at One Wood Farm in Blythewood. Both teams were tied 10-10 at the end of the competition, but the Tigers won the raw score tie-break, 1,472-1,469.
“Hats off to Coach Williams and Auburn for a great win today,” Gamecock head coach Boo Major said. “They came in well-prepared as we knew they would, had some great rides, and finished with three more points than we did. We had some great rides too, and I’m proud of our team for the way we competed.”
Auburn won the Hunt Seat competition on a raw score tie-break 776-766.
“The jumping is what probably cost us on the Hunt Seat side,” Major said. “In the flat, Carolyn scored a 79, and Kimmy scored an 83, and against most teams, both of those scores would hold up and get us two points. But Auburn had two great rides against us there and they were able to win those two from us.”
In Equitation on the Flat, junior Colvin Hedgepeth, and freshmen Rachel Roter and Emma Johnson scored points for the Gamecocks. Auburn’s Maggie McAlary defeated Curcio 88-79 and was named MVP of the event.
In Equitation Over Fences, the Tigers took three of five points from the Gamecocks. South Carolina’s Curcio and McCormack were the only two Gamecocks to score points in the jumping event. McCormack defeated Auburn’s Jennifer Waxman 85-79 to win her third MVP award of the season. McCormack and Curcio are both 3-0 in Equitation Over Fences this season.
Despite losing the overall competition, the Gamecocks’ Western team defeated the Tigers on a raw score tiebreak, 703-696.
“I’m thrilled for our Western girls for pulling out a win today,” Major said. “Auburn always rides well in the Western events, so for us to be able to get that win over them, that says a lot about our squad.”
In Horsemanship, junior Taylor Singmaster improved to 2-0 on the season with her 73-72 win over Auburn’s Kristin Hanson. Redshirt freshman Johnna Letchworth and freshman Katie Kopf also picked up points for the Gameoccks, who won three of five Horsemanship rides against Auburn. The Tigers’ Chelsea Zillner was named Horsemanship MVP, despite losing 73-69.5 to South Carolina’s Letchworth.
With South Carolina holding an 8-7 edge over Auburn heading into Reining, the Gamecocks needed to win three rides to win the competition outright, or win two rides and send the competition to a tie-breaker. Freshman Melia Blakely and junior Annie McDonald (Reining MVP) both scored points for the Gamecocks, but Auburn won the three remaining rides by a combined 3.5 points, forcing the tie-breaker. Auburn’s raw scores totaled 1,472, three points better than South Carolina’s 1,469.
The Gamecocks return to action October 23, when South Carolina travels to Bishop, Ga. to compete against Georgia.
