April 19, 2013
Gamecock Equestrian on Facebook
WACO, Texas – South Carolina’s fifth-seeded Western team eliminated No. 4 seed TCU on Friday from the 2013 NCEA National Championships with a 5-2 victory over the Horned Frogs at the Extraco Events Center. The Gamecocks advance to the semifinal round, where South Carolina will face top-seed Oklahoma State on Saturday morning.
“This was a big win for us and one I think we were very prepared for,” South Carolina head coach Boo Major said. “I was exceptionally proud of our Reiners for their shutout today against a talented TCU team, and our Horsemanship team got us the points we needed in the second half which was great.”
Friday’s meet began in the Coliseum, where the Gamecocks and Horned frogs battled it out in Reining.
South Carolina shutout the Horned Frogs in the event, winning 3-0. After sophomore Layla Choate held TCU’s Samantha Bayer to a tie, Audrey Jewell, Amanda Pope, and Cody McMillion went on to sweep their opponents, giving the Gamecocks a 3-0 lead at the halfway point of Friday’s meet. Jewell scored an event-high 142 to knock off Kolby Simonson, and Amanda Pope followed with a 136-134 victory over Alexi Child. McMillion completed the 3-0 shutout when she defeated Katie Gray, 136-131.
The Horsemanship team wasted no time in ending TCU’s hopes of a comeback. Junior Alison Ceresani posted a team-high score of 145 to beat TCU’s Alexie Estrada, giving Carolina an insurmountable lead of four points with just three rides left. TCU avoided the shutout by winning back-to-back points, but redshirt junior Johnna Letchworth ended the meet on a high note for the Gamecocks when she edged TCU’s Bayer, 141.5-139.
The Western team will face top-seed Oklahoma State on Saturday morning in the semifinals, which will begin at 10 a.m. ET with Reining. Horsemanship will follow at noon ET.
Live Scoring for Saturday: http://www.gamecocksonline.com/sports/w-equest/stats/2013-NCEA-day3.html
Live Video for Saturday: http://collegiateequestrian.com/competitions/nationalchampionship_feed1.html
Scoring Summary
SC – TCU
0-0 : Layla Choate ties Samantha Bayer, 138.5-138.5.
1-0 : Audrey Jewell defeats Kolby Simonson, 142-137.5.
2-0 : Amanda Pope defeats Alexi Child, 136-134.
3-0 : Cody McMillion defeats Katie Gray, 136-131.
4-0 : Alison Ceresani defeats Alexie Estrada, 145-137.5.
4-1 : Calli Rouse defeats Katie Kopf, 147-142.5.
4-2 : Erin Gillete defeats Sam Chiodo, 143.5-136.5.
5-2 : Johnna Letchworth defeats Samantha Bayer, 141.5-139.
Final Score – South Carolina defeats Texas Christian, 5-2.
