March 10, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M equestrian team maintained its hold on the No. 3 spot in the latest Women's Intercollegiate Equestrian National Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.
The Aggies (7-3) are riding a two-match winning streak and are coming off a strong performance against Oklahoma State last Saturday in College Station.
The top two teams in the country switched positions in the new edition of the national coaches poll. Georgia regained the No. 1 spot following a 12-7 home win over Auburn on Feb. 28. Previous No. 1 Baylor fell from the top spot after losing an 11-9 decision to Auburn in Waco on Saturday.
For the second consecutive poll, South Carolina improved one spot, this time to fourth. The Gamecocks are riding a six-match win streak that includes wins over No. 1 Georgia and the third-ranked Aggies.
TCU was the biggest mover in the poll, jumping from seventh to fifth after home wins over New Mexico State and Oklahoma State in the past two weeks. Despite beating former No. 1 Baylor on Saturday, Auburn was punished by the pollsters for its loss to Georgia a week earlier, causing them to slide from fourth to sixth. Oklahoma State also slid a spot after falling on the road to A&M and TCU this past weekend.
Fresno State improved from ninth to eighth after a paper-thin home loss to South Carolina and a victory over Tennessee-Martin in the past two weeks. Kansas State swapped spots with Fresno, falling one spot despite winning their only match in the past two weeks, a 14-6 triumph over South Dakota State. A&M's next opponent, New Mexico State, remained 10th in the new edition of the poll.
Women's Intercollegiate Equestrian National Coaches Poll 1. Georgia (62) 2. Baylor (59) 3. Texas A&M (55) 4. South Carolina (43) 5. TCU (38) 6. Auburn (37) 7. Oklahoma State (36) 8. Fresno State (18) 9. Kansas State (17) 10. New Mexico State (11)
Also receiving votes: South Dakota State (1), Tennessee-Martin (1).