July 10, 2006
Texas A&M head equestrian coach Tana Rawson announced the addition of five riders to its 2005-06 signing class on Monday.
The Aggies have added western riders Tyler Bryson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Jenna Pine (Alamo, Calif.) as well as English riders Morgan Lucas (San Antonio), Merrin Mueller (Long Beach, Miss.) and Tegan Zealy (Tampa, Fla.) to an impressive class signed in November.
Tyler Bryson is a five-time American Quarter Horse Youth Association (AQHYA) world show qualifier as well as a top ten finalist. She has also been a top ten finalist at Quarter Horse Congress. Bryson is a multiple-time National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) bronze trophy winner as well as a multiple-time year-end champion in the Arizona Quarter Horse Association.
Jenna Pine was the AQHYA world champion for her age division in western pleasure in 2000. Since capturing the world title, Pine has finished among the top ten at the AQHYA world show in three of the last five seasons ?- all in western pleasure. Pine, who has been riding American Quarter Horses for 12 years, also has wins at Congress in western pleasure and trail and has taken reserve honors in youth hunter under saddle. Pine also has multiple top ten finishes at Congress in trail, western riding and western pleasure.
?We are very excited to have these two talented western riders joining our team,? Rawson said. ?They both have a wealth of knowledge and experience to offer our program.?
Morgan Lucas is the lone Texan among the Aggies?â„¢ new group of additions. Lucas is a 2006 graduate of Clark High School in San Antonio. Her trainers are Frank and Candi Owens of Oakwell Farms while Peter Pletcher of PJP Farms serves as a consultant. Lucas has extensive experience in the Texas Hunter Jumper Association (THJA), having earned numerous top ten finishes over the last half decade. She has earned several Level 5 jumper championships and modified junior/amateur division top three placings in 2006.
Merrin Mueller is a 2006 graduate of Long Beach Senior High in Long Beach, Miss. Mueller will join her sister, Ali, who recently completed her first year on the A&M team. Merrin is trained by Janet McCarroll of Gulfport, Miss., and David Pellegrini of Eads, Tenn. She has qualified for the National Equitation Finals in Atlanta, Ga., each of the past two years, earning a high placing of sixth. Merrin has also qualified for the equitation finals at the Washington International Horse Show as well.
Tegan Zealy is transferring to A&M after spending her first two years at the University of South Florida. Zealy is a 2004 graduate of Grace Christian School in Tampa, Fla. She has been riding for 14 years and has numerous Tampa-area accomplishments to her credit. Zealy has earned reserve champion honors in the Ocala children?â„¢s jumper division and has been the children?â„¢s jumper champion in the Central Florida Hunter Jumper Association during her riding career.
?We are excited to have these successful and proven competitors to join our program,? A&M English coach Linzy Woolf said. ?All three girls are extremely hard workers with a great amount of dedication and heart. We feel like these riders have a strong impact on our team both in and out of the competition ring.?
With the addition of these five riders, A&M has increased its signing class of 2006 to 11, its largest ever. The Aggies signed Amanda Cushman (Huntsville), Maggie Gratny (Leavenworth, Kan.), Caroline Gunn (Greensburg, Ind.), Stephanie Harmon (Houston), Lindsay Smith (West Friendship, Md.) and Maddi Williams (Valley View) during the fall signing period.