With three-straight close matchups and three-straight victories, the Aggies are on a roll.
The No. 2 Texas A&M equestrian was able to edge out South Carolina 10-9 on Saturday, Feb. 19 at the Hildebrand Equine Complex.
The Gamecocks struck first, securing two straight points in equitation over Fences. A&M responded with points from freshman Brooke Brombach, and juniors Morgan Rosia and Kaitlyn Lovingfoss. Lovingfoss was able to achieve Most Outstanding Performer, or MOP, honors as the Aggies gained a 3-2 lead following the first event.
The maroon and white found their stride quickly in Horsemanship, snatching four of the five points. A&M senior Hayley Riddle shined with an event-high score of 78, defeating USC junior Cora Wyers. The remarkable season for Riddle continued as she was able to earn her third MOP of the year, her second in the past three meets.
A&M held a commanding lead of 7-2 heading into the half.
The first competition after the break, equitation on the Flat, was all South Carolina.
The Gamecocks gained points behind impressive performances from senior Alice Kass with 81, senior Trinity Hammerschmidt with 85.5, sophomore Maya Clarkson with 80.5 and senior Caroline Bald with an 89. Bald’s performance earned her MOP in Flats with a score that turned out to be her career best.
With a score of 7-7, it all came down to Reining. The Aggies knotted two points behind an MOP performance from senior Lisa Bricker with 73, but the Gamecocks quickly retaliated, making the score 9-9. With the match and an eight-meet win streak on the line, graduate Marissa Harrell was able to provide a clutch victory over South Carolina sophomore Emilia Reutimann.
A&M coach Tana McKay said she was impressed with her team’s poise as the Aggies went into the final event of the day with their backs to the wall for the second consecutive meet.
“Well to come down to the wire like that, it definitely made for another exciting meet,” McKay told 12thman.com. “It puts a lot of pressure on the last event group; I gotta hand it to the Reiners for pulling it out. As they walk into the arena, they have that scoreboard staring at them. Knowing exactly what’s on the line, I thought they handled the pressure really well.”
The Aggies have built a compelling resume as the season is now in the home stretch. With the victory over South Carolina, the maroon and white are now 9-1. Of those nine victories, four have come against opponents ranked in the top five. In addition, A&M is undefeated in both SEC play and when playing at home.
The work is not finished, but it is safe to say that morale is high in Aggieland.
With only four more matchups ahead of the SEC Championship on March 25, the Aggies look to remain hot as they head to Auburn, Ala., on Feb. 26 for a top-five outing against the Tigers.