No. 9 South Carolina Opens Season Thursday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 9 Gamecocks open their season on the road against UC Davis on Thursday at 2 p.m. at the UC Davis Equestrian Center. South Carolina will then compete in a double header over the weekend, taking on No. 7 Fresno State on Friday at 1 p.m. and No. 6 TCU on Friday and Saturday.
 
“We are very excited to be on the road for non-conference play after a one-year hiatus. We have never been to UC Davis, so we will have our work cut out for us there,” said head coach Boo Major. “Although we have had a long-standing home and away meet with Fresno State, it has been 3 years since we travelled there, so the majority of our team is not familiar with the facility. TCU will be a fun competition on neutral ground, and I am looking forward to seeing how we stack up against the Horned Frogs. We always have a great time competing in California and we can’t wait to get started on Thursday.”
 
Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina faced one non-conference opponent in the 2020-21 season in Lynchburg, defeating them 9-1.
• Three Gamecocks earned All-America honors last year, with Sloane Vogt earning First Team honors for Reining, Madeline Schaefer earning Second Team honors for Fences, and Caroline Bald earning Second Team honors on the Flat.
• South Carolina enters the season at No. 9 in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association rankings.
• This is the first time since 2017 that the Gamecocks open their season on the road.

 
Scouting the Aggies

• UC Davis went 1-4 in the 2020-21 season, featuring a win over Fresno State decided by the Western Equivalency Tiebreaker.
• The Aggies are 0-2 all-time against SEC opponents. 
• This will be the first meeting between UC Davis and South Carolina.
• The UC Davis Equestrian program is in its fourth season, led by head coach Jessie Weisinger.

 
Scouting the Bulldogs

• Fresno State is currently ranked No. 7 in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association.
• The Bulldogs ended the 2021-22 season 5-6, with a 2-0 record at home.
• The Gamecocks are on a six-meet win streak and are 15-4 all-time against the Bulldogs. In the last meeting, the Gamecocks topped the Bulldogs 11-8.
• Fresno State is led by head coach Eric Hubbard who is in his sixth season.

 
Scouting the Horned Frogs

• TCU comes in at No. 6 in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association rankings.
• The Gamecocks lead the Horned Frogs 13-3 all-time, including a 7-1 record on neutral ground. South Carolina most recently defeated TCU 13-5 in 2019. 
• TCU competed for the title in the Big 12 Championship but finished second to then-No. 3 Oklahoma State.
• The Horned Frogs will face the Fresno State Bulldogs before competing against the Gamecocks.
• The TCU Equestrian team is led by head coach Haley Schoolfield who is in her ninth season.