March 30, 2009
COLLEGE STATION - The seedings for both individual and team qualifiers to the 2009 Varsity Equestrian National Championships were announced on Monday by the Varsity Equestrian Selection Committee.
A&M's 11-1 western record was rewarded in both the team and individual seedings as the Aggies claimed all three No. 1 seeds (team and two individual disciplines). For the third time in the four years of seeding the national championship tournament, the Aggies will enter as the No. 1 seed in the western bracket. In 2007, the western squad had an identical 11-1 record and No. 1 seed and ended the season with a national title.
"We are so excited to see our hard work this season pay off in the eyes of the voters on the committee," A&M head coach Tana McKay said. "We have had a great year and we look forward to continuing it at the national championships in a few weeks."
The top four western teams, who earned first round byes, are A&M, defending national champion TCU (2), Georgia (3), and Oklahoma State (4). Big 12 rivals Kansas State and Baylor earned the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds giving the conference four of the top six slots in the tournament. The Aggies will face the winner of the Auburn-New Mexico State quarterfinal match.
On the hunter seat side, the Aggies earned the No. 5 seed after posting a record of 9-4 this season. The SEC dominated the hunter seat seedings with Auburn (1), Georgia (2), and South Carolina (3) claiming the top three spots. Baylor claimed the fourth seed, and the final bye slot, while the Aggies earned the No. 5 seed and the right to face Delaware State in the first round. The winner will face Baylor in the quarterfinals.
Individually, the Aggies have qualified two riders for the right to compete for a solo national title. Defending horsemanship national champion Caroline Gunn (Greensburg, Ind.) will take the top seed into the eight-woman bracket and will face Baylor's Allison Orosz in the first round of the individual tournament. Gunn cruised to the first-ever varsity equestrian horsemanship national title a year ago.
Sophomore Tara Christiansen's (Snohomish, Wash) impressive 11-1 reining season paid off by earning her the No. 1 seed in the individual reining tournament. Christiansen will face OSU's Bri Parnell in the quarterfinals of the reining bracket.
On the hunter side, senior Tegan Zealy (Tampa, Fla.) was named as the second alternate in the flat tournament.
The Aggies will compete at the Varsity Equestrian National Championships on April 16-18 at the Heart O'Texas Coliseum in Waco.