Six Gamecocks Earn NCEA All-America Honors
Waco, Texas – The South Carolina equestrian team shined all season long and now six members of the team have earned National Collegiate Equestrian Association All-America honors, NCEA officials announced on Friday.
Senior Caroline Gute and junior McKenzie Duncan earned first team honors in reining, the first time multiple Gamecocks earned first team honors in the same distinction since Katherine Schmidt and Amber Henter did it in over fences back in 2015. Freshman Madeline Schaefer took first team fences honors, while fellow freshman Jordan Allen made the second team, and junior Louisa Brackett earned honorable mention distinction. Finally, senior Madison Sellman capped off an illustrious career with a spot on the second team for her efforts on the flat.
“During this extremely stressful time, I am thankful to the NCEA and Ariat for some good news for our Gamecock Equestrians, family and fans,” head coach Boo Major said. “To have six student athletes make the first, second and honorable mention Ariat All-America teams is something we have not seen for a while!”
For the second time in her career Caroline Gute made the All-America First Team for reining, bookending her career with honors after earning the distinction as a freshman. This season Gute posted a 9-1-2 record in reining, moving her to third in program history with 38 career wins. She also ranks third all-time with 10 reining Most Outstanding Player honors, with one coming this season.
McKenzie Duncan makes her first appearance on an All-America list after her breakout season. The junior finished with an 8-3-1 record this season, including three M.O.P. wins. Duncan was a picture of consistency this season, including a three-ride winning streak to open 2020 where she knocked off riders from South Dakota State, Texas A&M and Georgia, taking M.O.P. honors against Georgia.
“How appropriate for Caroline to be a First Team All-America reiner her senior year when she was also one her freshman year,” Major continued. “And if one All-American in reining wasn’t enough, McKenzie blasted on the scene with an incredible year. Two of the four named first team reining All-Americans were from the University of South Carolina, that’s a record for us Congratulations to them and to our assistant coach Jennifer McGrath for helping them achieve this goal.”
Madeline Schaefer made her Carolina debut in November and wasted no time in cementing herself as one of the top riders in the country, earning a spot on the All-America First Team for fences. She won her debut ride against UT Martin and followed that with her first M.O.P. win of the season at SMU. Schaefer found a groove in February, posting a 4-0 record with three M.O.P. wins, including back-to-back M.O.P. honors against Georgia and Auburn to finish her season with a 7-2-0 record and four M.O.P. awards.
Jordan Allen also began her Gamecock career against UT Martin, getting things started with a M.O.P. win on her way to a 7-2-0 record and an All-America Second Team honor for her work in over fences. Allen tallied the highest fences score of the season with her 91 in a win over Georgia and closed her season on a three-ride winning streak with wins over Georgia, at Auburn and a M.O.P. winning ride at Delaware State.
“Madeline and Jordan have been our freshmen powerhouses on the fences side of our jumping seat events,” Major added. “Madeline being named first team over fences as a freshman is a huge achievement that is rarely reached. Her three MOP’s in a row this spring definitely had a hand in this accomplishment. Jordan being named second team as a freshman is also a great feat. Jordan’s losses were so narrow, I really feel she was extremely close to being named first team.”
Louisa Brackett entered the season ready to show she’s found another gear and she did just that by earning All-America Honorable Mention distinction in over fences. Brackett posted a career best 7-3-0 record, including a five-ride winning streak where she notched her first fences M.O.P. award with an 87-50 win over her Texas A&M opponent. The junior managed all this while also posting career-high numbers on the flat, going 8-5-0 for a team best 15 wins over both disciplines.
“I am also so proud of Louisa, who works extremely hard as a flat and fences rider,” Major said. “Her honorable mention is an exciting and deserved recognition for her. I am looking forward to her senior season and the return of these freshmen next year. I expect they will make their mark next year.”
Last, but never least, Madison Sellman wrapped up her career with an 8-2-1 senior season on the flat and a spot on the All-America Second Team. A four-year starter for the Gamecocks, Sellman opened her final season with back-to-back M.O.P. wins on her way to the best winning percentage of her career. Sellman finishes her career with 24 wins on the flat, good for eighth place in program history. Her five M.O.P. wins, three of which came this season, tie her for seventh place in the Gamecock record book.
“Madison is another one I am so proud of,” Major added. “She was our only nominee on the flat and barely missed first team honors to be named to the second team. As a senior, Madison has had a phenomenal year all the way around. Congratulations to assistant coach Kristen Terebesi for having four student-athletes named.”
“Madison and Caroline achieving these accolades as seniors is a true testament to their commitment to our team for the past four years and I could not be happier for them,” Major concluded. “Having two seniors, two freshmen and two ‘inbetweeners’ achieving such outstanding honors is really exciting for the future of the Gamecock equestrian team.”
