University of Georgia
South Carolina
Georgia Tops South Carolina 11-9 in Season Opener
October 03, 2014 | Equestrian
ATHENS, Ga.- The No. 1 Georgia equestrian team edged South Carolina 11-9 Friday afternoon at OneWood Farm in Blythewood, S.C. The teams traded points throughout the competition, but Georgia's Horsemanship squad was able to seal the win in the anchor position for the Bulldogs. With the win, Georgia moves to 1-0 on the season and in Southeastern Conference play. South Carolina drops to 0-2, including a 0-1 record in the SEC.
"It was a tough competition as we expected it would be," said head coach Meghan Boenig. "There were a lot of strong rides today with very few errors. We also had a lot of new faces going into the arena for the first time, and I was very impressed with their performances. This team showed that they have been practicing hard and were prepared for today. It's a great first meet and I'm excited for the rest of the season."
Highlighting the meet was Paige Stawicki who rode to an event-high score of 75.5 in Horsemanship and was awarded MVP honors. Kyndall Harper was named MVP after delivering a 73-64 victory in her debut performance for the Bulldogs.
South Carolina jumped to an early lead in Equitation Over Fences, winning the event 3-2. South Carolina's Katherine Schmidt won the first point of the day with an 85-82 lead over Addyson Cord. Georgia took the next point when Liza Finsness defeated Alexa Anthony 86-76. South Carolina picked up the next two points as Amber Henter and Samantha Smith scored an 85 and 88 respectively. Kylee Arbuckle answered with a score of 74 over Samantha Kraus's 72, leaving the Bulldogs trailing by one going into Reining.
Georgia tied the score with a 3-2 performance in Reining. Harper rode to a 73-64 victory over South Carolina's Bailey Walters and was awarded MVP honors. Claudia Spreng followed suit, defeating Cody McMillion 69.5-68.5. South Carolina rallied for the next two points when Layla Choate and Sarah Bouchard earned points for the Gamecocks. Lauren Garmon rode to a 66.5-60.5 victory to seal the event for the Bulldogs 3-2.
In Equitiaton on the Flat, Georgia put up a 3-2 lead. South Carolina's Kraus scored an 84 over Southam's 70. Arbuckle rode to a victory scoring a 77 over Smith's 74. Cord continued the momentum for Georgia, edging Schmidt 81-82. Finsness took the third-straight point for the Bulldogs with a 72-71 victory over Anthony. South Carolina picked up the final point as Adele Norton defeated Emma Schauder 74-68.
Leading 8-7, the Bulldogs entered the final event of the day. South Carolina earned the first point in Horsemanship as Courtney Allen edged Bailey Anderson 72-70.5. Rachel Kolb put a point on the board after defeating Bailey Mierzejewski 72.5-71. Stawicki put up an event-high, MVP-earning score of 75.5 over Abigail Pait's 73.5. Sara Parr kept the ball rolling for the Bulldogs, defeating Kelsey Urban 73-67.5. The Gamecocks grabbed the final point as Sam Chiodo outscored Heather Schmidt 74.5-71.5.
The Georgia equestrian team will be back in action October 17 when it welcomes Alabama to the UGA Equestrian Complex for an exhibition competition. The scrimmage is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. and admission and parking are free.
