Jan. 29, 2012
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January 29, 2012
| Coach Major |
BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. – No. 6 Oklahoma State jumped out to an early 4-1 lead on Sunday, and despite sweeping MVP honors in Hunt Seat, the Gamecocks fell 10-9 to the Cowgirls at One Wood Farm. South Carolina won the Hunt Seat portion of Sunday’s competition as Katherine Schmidt and Logan Holler swept the MVP’s.
“That was a big win for Oklahoma State today,” South Carolina head coach Boo Major said. “They had a very close loss at Auburn yesterday, and hats off to their riders for putting that behind them and showing up the way they did today. Their reiners were phenomenal early on and their flat riders were the difference late in the meet. For us, I think there are some positives to take away from today, but at the same time we also see some opportunities where we can better, and we’ll see how our girls respond.”
The Gamecocks spotted the Cowgirls an early 4-1 lead, as Oklahoma State dominated in Reining. Oklahoma State won the first point, but junior Audrey Jewell tied it at 1-1 a few minutes later as she defeated Jenna Blumer, 71-69.5 The Cowgirls went on to win the final three points of the event.
“Hats off to their reiners today” Major said. “They really got them started this morning and set the tone for what turned out be a hard fought meet.”
The competition moved down to the lower ring as the Gamecocks hoped to make a dent in the Cowgirl’s early lead. Carolina won three of five points, as Oklahoma State held a 6-4 lead at the halfway point. Freshman Katherine Schmidt was named MVP as she scored an 84 to defeat Samantha Harrison. Kimberly McCormack picked up a two-point win over her opponent, and redshirt freshman Amber Henter scored an 84 to down her Cowgirl opponent.
In the second half of Sunday’s meet, the Gamecocks’ Horsemanship team cruised to a 3-1 victory. Alison Ceresani, Johnna Letchworth, and Katie Kopf all won their points, while senior captain Maggie Fortune held her Cowgirl opponent to a 74-74 tie.
In Equitation on the Flat, Schmidt completed her 2-for-2 day by scoring an 82 to defeat her opponent’s 66. Junior Logan Holler also scored an 82, which was event-high on Sunday, to defeat Ellie Sparks. Holler was named MVP for her ride, the first of her career.
“I’m absolutely thrilled for Logan for what she was able to do today,” Major said. “She’s been working extremely hard since last year at improving some things, and it showed today. She looked great, and if you look at her career record, she has three times as many wins as she does losses, and that says a lot about how hard she prepares.”
The Gamecocks took an 8-7 for just a few minutes on Sunday when Kopf scored an event-high 76.5 to defeat Oklahoma State’s Katy Krshka in Horsemanship, But the Cowgirls went on to win three of the final four points to hold on for the win.
South Carolina returns to action next weekend, when the Gamecocks travel to Bishop, Ga. for a showdown with Georgia.
