Gamecocks Rally to Win at No. 2 Texas A&M
College Station, Texas – The South Carolina equestrian team rolled into the Hildebrand Equine Complex and knocked off the No. 2 Texas A&M Aggies, 10-9, on Friday afternoon.
Sophomores Grady Lyman and Caroline Bald earned Most Outstanding Player honors for flat and fences respectively. This marks the sixth M.O.P. win of Lyman’s career, but only her second on the flat. This is the first M.O.P. win of Bald’s career.
“I’ve always told them that one day we’re going to get it to where things are going to go our way…,” head coach Boo Major said after the meet. “This team has improved mentally, physically and consistently from last year to this year, they just keep getting better and better. Last week they were tense against Auburn, but we [the coaching staff] felt like they put in a very good effort. Then to come down here, they’re relaxed and having fun, it was a different feeling. Today they came out and performed, they didn’t let things get them down and they got the job done.”
The Gamecocks (2-2, 1-2 SEC) earned the first points of the day in over fences when Louisa Brackett’s 84-point ride topped A&M’s Caroline Dance and her 81. In the other ring Caroline Gute added to the lead with her 74.5-point ride on Bud, prevailing over Hannah Tapling and her score of 72. From there the Aggies took control of the first half, sending the Gamecocks into the break down 7-3.
Carolina dropped the first two points in reining, and facing imminent defeat flipped the script. McKenzie Duncan stopped the bleeding with her 69.5-point ride on Gabe to earn a point, followed by Addie Cromer winning her matchup with Marissa Harrell, 67.5-65.5, and Gute riding to a tie with her 71.5 score. Little did the reining riders know that their efforts were part of something big happening over on the flat.
The Garnet & Black entered the flat on a mission, and as the scores rolled in that mission became clear. Lyman’s 78 on Baltik took the first point, followed by Madison Sellman’s 71-point ride on Sparky. Kit Cunningham’s 66 on Beau point another point in the Carolina column, then Billi Brandner added a fourth point with her 70 on Queen. With the team’s knotted up at 9-9, A&M’s Rhian Murphy scored a 66 on Tin, paling in comparison to Brackett’s 75. The Gamecocks swept the category 5-0 and clinched the 10-9 win.
This is the first win for the Gamecocks at Texas A&M since Nov. 16, 2012, and the first win at the Hildebrand Equine Complex since it opened.
The Gamecocks are off next week before hosting UT Martin for the final home meet of the fall. Action is set to get underway at 1 p.m. at OneWood Farm in Blythewood.
