March 31, 2013

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior Kimberly McCormack and Katherine Schmidt were named to the SEC All-Championship team, it was announced yesterday. Both riders combined to go 7-for-8 at this weekend’s SEC Championship, leading the Gamecocks to their first Southeastern Conference title. With McCormack’s and Schmidt’s selection to the All-Championship Team, South Carolina swept both Hunt Seat spots.

“Kimmy and Katherine really shined for us this weekend as did our entire Hunt Seat team,” South Carolina head coach Boo Major said. “Katherine was perfect on both days which was big for us, and Kimmy was our only senior in the Hunt Seat lineup and I thought she had a great weekend too.”

McCormack, who became the first Gamecock equestian in team history to compete 100 times during a career, went 3-1 for the Gamecocks over the weekend, including a perfect 2-for-2 day in Friday’s 10-7 win over No. 1 Georgia. McCormack edged her Bulldog opponent, 158-157 in Equitation Over Fences, and then won MVP honors in Equitation on the Flat as she completed her perfect afternoon with an event-high score of 153.

Schmidt went 4-0 over the weekend and was a pefect 2-0 in both Equitation on the Flat and Equitation Over Fences. She was named MVP in Equitation Over Fences in Friday’s victory over the Bulldogs, scoring an event-high 165 in defeating her Georgia opponent by 16 points. She went on to tie the high-score in Equitation on the Flat (153) with McCormack en route to a two-point victory. In Saturday’s championship meet, Schmidt posted an event-high score of 166 in Equitation Over Fences and the second-highest score in Equitation on the Flat as she finished her perfect weekend.

On Thursday, Schmdit was named SEC Rider of the Month in Equitation Over Fences. In South Carolina’s three regular reason meets during March, she went 3-0 with back-to-back road wins over top-10 teams Kansas State and Oklahoma State. In her victory at Oklahoma State, Schmidt posted the Gamecocks’ highest score in the event (85), earning her MVP. Overall in March, Schmidt went 6-0 in Hunt Seat action as she posted an identical 3-0 record in Equitation on the Flat.

Schmidt finishes the month of March with a perfect 10-0 record, giving her 20 wins on the season with four MVP’s

McCormack led the team in wins during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons, while Schmidt has posted the most wins on the team in her first two years as a Gamecock. Both riders have also won the last two AgSouth Female Athlete of the Year awards, as McCormack won the honor in 2011 as a sophomore and Schmidt won it in 2012 as a freshman.

2013 SEC All-Championship Team
– Equitation on the Flat: Katherine Schmidt (South Carolina)
– Equitation Over Fences: Kimberly McCormack (South Carolina)
– Horsemanship:Carey Nowacek (Texas A&M)
– Reining:Indy Roper (Auburn)