March 29, 2013

AUBURN, Ala. – No. 6 South Carolina upset No. 1 Georgia, 10-7, on Friday in the opening round at the SEC Championship and will advance to Saturday’s championship meet against the winner of the Auburn/Texas A&M meet, which has not yet ended.

South Carolina’s Hunt Seat team dominated on Friday, winning eight of ten points including 2-for-2 performances from senior Kimberly McCormack, sophomore Katherine Schmidt, and redshirt freshman Samantha Smith. Redshirt sophomore Amber Henter scored a point in Equitation Over Fences and freshman Sally Henry scored a point in Equitation on the Flat.

The Gamecocks earned Western points from redshirt junior Johnna Letchworth in Horsemanship and freshman Sarah Bouchard in Reining. In Horsemanship, sophomore Sam Chiodo and freshman Kelsey Urban held their Bulldog opponents to ties, while sophomore Layla Choate also picked up a tie in Reining.

Saturday’s championship meet will begin at 3 p.m. ET at the Auburn University Horse Center.

A full recap along with post-meet interviews and Friday’s scoresheet will be posted later this evening.

Quick Notes
• Friday’s victory is South Carolina’s second victory over a No. 1 team this season. The Gamecocks also defeated the Bulldogs in the fall when Georgia was the top-ranked team in the country.

• The Gamecocks have defeated Georgia three times within the last 12 months, each time coming with the Bulldogs ranked No. 1.

• Dating back to February 2012, the equestrian team has won four meets over top-ranked teams – three times against Georgia and once against Auburn.