Gamecocks Swat No. 10 Hornets 14-5
Dover, Del. – The No. 4 South Carolina equestrian team finished the regular season with a dominant 14-5 win over the No. 10 Delaware State Hornets on Friday at the Dovington Training Center.
Three Gamecocks earned Most Outstanding Player honors with freshman Jordan Allen taking her second award of the season in over fences, senior Madison Sellman bringing home her third award of the season on the flat and junior Taylor Kellam getting her second M.O.P. of the season in horsemanship.
The Gamecocks (7-5, 3-3 SEC) took control early in over fences when freshman Madeline Schaefer earned her seventh win of the season with an 84-point ride on Cici. After sophomore Grady Lyman narrowly missed out on winning her point Allen claimed her M.O.P. with an 85-point ride on Tilly. Junior Louisa Brackett and sophomore Caroline Bald wrapped things up by claiming their points to give the Gamecocks a 4-1 lead.
Horsemanship saw the Garnet and Black once again put up strong numbers, with Kellam’s M.O.P. winning 75-point ride opening things up. Senior Caroline Gute followed her with a 73-point ride on Gina to win her point before freshman Kiersten Beckner claimed a point with her 72.5-point ride. Junior Gabrielle Brassard added to the win column with her 71.5-point ride and the Gamecocks took an 8-2 lead into the break.
On the flat Carolina kept the momentum rolling with Brackett taking the first point with an 81-point ride. After Delaware State claimed the next two points Lyman got things back on track with her seventh flat win of the year, and Sellman finished things off with her M.O.P. wining 86-point ride. Her score of 86 is a new career high on the flat, and it earned Sellman her 24th career flat win, giving her sole ownership of eighth place all-time in program history for flat wins.
With victory in hand the Gamecocks kept the pressure up in reining as junior Addie Cromer took her point with a 69.5-point ride. Fellow junior McKenzie Duncan earned her eighth win of the season with a 67-point ride on Waldo, while Gute notched her team-leading ninth flat win of the year to secure the 14-5 victory for Carolina.
Notables
- The Gamecocks improved to 7-5 overall, the highest win total for the team since the 2016-17 team posted a 7-9 record for the year.
- Jordan Allen claimed her second M.O.P. honor of the season as the Gamecocks continue to dominate in over fences. Allen is tied for the team lead in fences wins with seven.
- After not earning an M.O.P. over her first 2.5 years riding for the Gamecocks Taylor Kellam has won a pair of M.O.P. awards in her last three meets.
- Madison Sellman continues to put the finishing touches on a stellar career as she moved into eighth place all-time with her 24th win on the flat today. The senior has three M.O.P. wins on the flat this season.
Next Up
The Gamecocks turn their eyes to the postseason as the next time they enter the ring it’ll be at the SEC Championships. The Garnet and Black start their march for a conference title on March 27 in Bishop, Georgia.
