The Aggies are on the homestretch towards Auburn, Alabama for the SEC Equestrian Championships. The weeks are just ticking down but the Aggies are not expecting to slow. After suffering their first loss of 2017 this past weekend, No. 2 A&M (5-2, 2-1 SEC) is looking to bounce back against the No. 5 SMU Mustangs (3-1, 1-0 UEC) in a top five matchup.
The Mustangs are entering this competition coming off a convincing 12-6 win over Delaware State. They open their championship season this week boasting an undefeated western team led by Hannah McCain (4-0) and junior Keaton Crawford (3-0-1). The Aggies however, have also yet to suffer a loss in the western division at 6-0-1. This is the marks the 12th time the teams have met with the Aggies holding a 7-4 all-time advantage, despite losing the previous two match ups.
In last season’s 10-9 upset by the Mustangs, a 5-5 tie in the western competition allowed SMU to edge out the Aggies in equitation over fences. Senior Sylvia de Toledo of SMU recently became the campus’s all-time career wins leader in the category with 56 victories in her tenure on the Hilltop. The Aggies will fight back with their eight riders who boast five or more wins, led by junior Madison Bohan (6-1 reining) and Madeleine Swem who embraces an undefeated record on the flat.
Despite a pair of losses, Texas A&M has performed admirably this season and will have to rally an impressive performance to capitalize this weekend. The ladies will kick things off 10 a.m. Saturday morning at the Dallas Equestrian Center.