Oct. 8, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The 5th-ranked Texas A&M equestrian team opens the 2009-2010 competition season on Sunday when the Aggies host ninth-ranked Fresno State at the Brazos County Expo Complex in Bryan. The show is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and admission is free.
"We are very excited to be kicking off our season this Sunday," head coach Tana McKay said. "We've had some great practices and all the girls are ready to get into the ring. It ought to be a great competition against Fresno State and we look forward to it."
The Aggies return to action after claiming another western team title at last spring's Varsity Equestrian National Championships, the seventh team national crown in program history. A&M also finished second in the overall team standings for the third consecutive year.
Leading the way for the Aggie riders is senior and two-time defending national champion Caroline Gunn, who has won back-to-back titles in horsemanship and helped A&M to the western team title last spring. Gunn was named the squad's most valuable rider in the discipline at the end of last season. The team's reining discipline MVP, junior Tara Christiansen, is also back after a 10-0 regular season for the Aggies.
Texas A&M has won both all-time competitions against Fresno State, including a 15-5 victory over the Bulldogs in last year's season opener.
The team will be wearing pink ribbons on the afternoon in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness, and 12th Man Team Rewards officials will be scanning at the show. It will be the first of seven for the Aggies this season at the brand-new, 3,000-seat Expo Complex, which is located at 5827 Leonard Road in Bryan.