Jan. 27, 2011
The undefeated and No. 1-ranked Texas A&M equestrian team returns to competition for the first time in over two months when the Aggies (6-0) open the spring season by hosting No. 6 South Carolina (2-3) on Friday morning. Show time at the Brazos County Expo Complex is set for 11 a.m. and admission is free.
A&M became the first school in the history of the varsity equestrian national coaches' poll to be chosen the unanimous No. 1 squad, back in early December, and will put that ranking on the line for only the second time in school history this weekend against the Gamecocks.
"We can't wait to get back into the arena on Friday," head coach Tana McKay said. "We had a great fall season, but now we need to build on that and focus on continuing that success here in the spring. South Carolina has a very talented squad that will present a big challenge for us, and I'm looking forward to seeing how we handle that."
Texas A&M has already recorded home wins this year over SMU (8-4), No. 4 Oklahoma State (14-11), No. 2 Auburn (11-8) and most recently No. 7 Kansas State (16-8). Friday will mark the second-to-last home show before A&M hosts the Big 12 Championships in early April.
USC, 0-2 on the road this year, opens a three-show Texas swing against the Aggies. The teams have met just once before in the regular season, with A&M dropping a 13-7 decision at South Carolina in January of 2009. The Gamecocks are making their first-ever visit to College Station.
Action will begin with the equitation over fences competition, followed by horsemanship, equitation on the flat and reining. The teams will compete five riders in each of the four disciplines, with a total of 20 points at stake. Live results will be available on aggieathletics.com throughout the day for those unable to attend the show.
The 3,000-seat Expo Complex is located at 5827 Leonard Road in Bryan.