March 26, 2016
BISHOP, Ga. – Despite a 5-4 win by South Carolina’s western team, the Gamecocks lost, 11-7, to No. 1 Auburn in the opening round of the 2016 SEC Championship on Friday. South Carolina (4-10, 0-6 SEC) will face Texas A&M (9-5, 3-3 SEC) on Saturday in the consolation round.
Auburn won 3-of-5 points in equitation over fences kick off Friday’s meet. After the Tigers won the first point, the Gamecocks won back-to-back points to take a 2-1 lead. Junior Sydney Smith tied the meet at 1-1 when she beat Auburn’s Elizabeth Benson, 160-141. Freshman Lizzie van der Walde followed Smith with a 170-154 win over Ashley Foster. Van der Walde’s score (170) was the Gamecocks’ highest jumping score and the second highest score in the meet. Auburn won the final two jumping points to take a 3-2 lead.
The Gamecocks made their comeback in the horsemanship arena, winning the event, 3-2, and tying the meet at 5-5. After Auburn won the first horsemanship point to take a 4-2 lead, Carolina won back-to-back points to tie the meet at 4-4. Sophomore Megan Overberg picked up a 141.5-135 victory over Griffin Knight, and junior Ashley Reichert followed with a 150.5-148 win over Hannah Loseke. Senior Abigail Pait closed out horsemanship by earning Most Outstanding Performer honors with a 149.5-142.5 victory over Hannah Stephens.
In reining, the Gamecocks and Tigers both won two points. Sophomore Bailey Walters earned M.O.P. honors for the Gamecocks when she picked up a 141-131 victory over Auburn’s Griffin Knight. Freshman Madison Thiel won Carolina’s second reining point in a 128.5-0 win over Alexa Rivard.
With the scores tied 7-7, the Gamecocks needed to either win three points outright or win two points and force a tie in at least one head-to-head. Carolina got its tie when sophomore Chloe Schmidt held Auburn’s Tory Hoft to a 149-149 tie. But the Tigers swept the Gamecocks the rest of the way, winning all four remaining flat points to send Auburn to its first SEC Championship meet since 2013.
The Gamecocks will face Texas A&M on Saturday in the third place meet.
