15th Season of Gamecock Equestrian Begins Friday

Sept. 22, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 15th season of Gamecock equestrian begins on Friday, as South Carolina hosts Fresno State at One Wood Farm in Blythewood. The competition will begin at 2 p.m., and admission is free to all South Carolina Equestrian events.

“We have had a great start to the season. This is a very focused group with clear-cut goals in mind.” South Carolina head coach Boo Major said. “We will be able to have a little more variety of who we compete because we are a stronger team this year. We are still young so there will be mistakes but I think we are a better team as a whole.”

Friday’s competition will mark the beginning of a long weekend for the visiting Bulldogs. After Friday’s show, Fresno State will travel to Delaware State for Saturday competitions against the Hornets and Texas A&M.

South Carolina and Fresno State last met on Feb. 27, 2011 in the Best of the West Tournament in Fresno, Calif. Despite claiming three of four MVP’s, the Gamecocks dropped the competition, 7-5.

“We are excited to have Fresno State as our first competition this year. The weather may be a little wet but we are prepared for that. Coach Reeves and Coach Scrivani will have their team prepared to compete,” Major said. “They are a well-seasoned team with almost all returners competing so we will have our work cut out for us. Hopefully, we will be able to put first meet jitters to the side and get down to business. We’ll know a lot more about our team at the end of the day tomorrow.”

An impressive senior class will lead the Gamecocks this season. Western captain Maggie Fortune and Hunt Seat captain Colvin Hedgepeth are both coming off their best seasons as Gamecocks. Fortune posted a career-high 10-wins last season in Horsemanship, earning her an honorable mention on last season’s All-America squad. Her three MVP’s tied a career-high she set in 2009-2010, giving her a total of eight through three seasons.

Hedgepeth, a senior from Richmond, Va., is also coming off a career year. She tallied a career-high nine wins lat season, while also picking up one MVP. She competed 18 times in 2010-2011, double the number of rides from her sophomore campaign. Hedgepeth was named Equitation MVP at the team banquet in April, and will lead an Equitation squad that did not lose a single rider from last year’s roster.

Game Day Information: Per the University’s Game Day Information Policies & Procedures, pets are not allowed at One Wood Farm. Fans are asked not to bring pets, for the safety of both teams’ riders and the horses.

Directions to One Wood Farm: Take I-77 N. to Exit 27, which is Blythewood Road. Turn left and cross back over I-77 and pass Cobblestone Park. Approximately half-a-mile after Cobblestone turn right for Syrup Mill Road. One Wood Farm is the first driveway down on the left, and it will be marked by a large sign with a Gamecock logo.

Live Scoring: Live Scoring will be available for Friday’s competiton against Fresno State. Click Here to access our Live Scoring page.