The No. 2 Texas A&M equestrian team hosted No. 3 TCU for a thrilling high-stakes matchup at the Hildebrand Equine Complex on Friday afternoon. The Aggies came out on top against the Horned Frogs, battling back-and-forth to win 12-8.
A&M secured the first point of the match early thanks to senior Brooke Brombach scoring an 82 on Fire in the Flat event. TCU graduate Ella Bostwick responded quickly with a point for the Frogs, scoring a 76 on Misty. The Aggies outscored the Frogs in Flat, 3-1, giving A&M a strong lead to start the day. Senior Rylee Shufelt, fifth year Devon Thomas and junior Devan Thomas all secured points for the Maroon and White during Flat, scoring an 82 on Sparky, a 74 on Celsius and a 71 on Diana, respectively.
During Reining, sophomore Isabelle Gonzalez got things started for the Aggies, scoring a 68.5 on Joker and claiming the first point. TCU junior Kaylene Cunningham answered back quickly, scoring a 71.5 on Coco and beating A&M’s Gracie Casebolt by just 0.5. The Horned Frogs added two more points to capture a 3-2 win in Reining.
To begin Fences, the Aggies had a 6-4 lead over the Horned Frogs and continued to tack on points. The Fightin’ Farmers beat the Frogs, 4-1, in Fences with help from Brombach (86), Thomas (85), junior Alexa Leong (84) and sophomore Alida Treuting (84). TCU junior Jordyn Scelsa scored the lone point for the Frogs with an 82 on North.
A&M headed into Horsemanship with a 10-5 lead over TCU, hoping to close out the competition with a win. TCU junior Shea Graham won the first round for the Frogs, scoring a 76.5 on TJ. A&M responded quickly with senior Millie Landon scoring a 75.5 on Max and regaining the 5-point lead. The Horned Frogs earned two more points event from senior Elizabeth West and graduate Payton Boutelle, but it was not enough to take down the Aggies.
The Maroon and White extended their overall record with TCU to 12-7. Three A&M performers were awarded with Most Outstanding Player performances with Brombach in Fences, sophomore Kendall Dirksen in Horsemanship and Shufelt in Flat.
The 4-1 Aggies are set to face No. 1 and undefeated Auburn on the road at the Auburn University Equestrian Center for their next match on Friday, Nov. 9.
