Aggies Advance in Event Championships on Day One of NCEA Championships

WACO, Texas – The Texas A&M equestrian team won all three of its meets in the event championships Wednesday on day one of the NCEA Championships at the Extraco Events Center.
 
Reining began the day with 3-1 victory over Fresno State, before the Aggies topped Sweet Briar, 3-1, in Equitation on the Flat. Horsemanship closed out the day with a 4-0 triumph over West Texas A&M.
 
Kaylee McCann started off Reining with a 140-138 victory over Taylor Dixon, as Darby Gardner defeated Paige Barton, 138-136. Ashton Dunkel earned a 137, bettering Kara Gustafson's 135.
 
In Flat, Rebekah Chenelle earned the first point with a 146-127 victory over Emily Scholosberg. Alex Desdierio followed suit by defeating Lily Peterson, 157-151. Brianna Peddicord scored a 163, the highest total of the meet, toppling Katie Balding's 144.
 
Both the Reining and Flat squads square off against SMU in the quarterfinals Friday with action beginning at 8:35 a.m.
 
Bailey Cook kicked off Horsemanship with a 145-141.5 victory over Catherine Johnson prior to Sarah Orsak defeating Rayleigh Rowel, 144.5-136. Alex Albright topped Maggie Murphy, 149.5-135, before Avery Ellis closed out the event with a 148-140 win against Kendall Woellmer. Texas A&M faces Baylor in the quarterfinals Friday at 3 p.m.
 
The top-seeded Equitation Over Fences team received a first-round bye and faces UT Martin Friday at  8:35 a.m.
 
The fourth-seeded Aggies begin the team championship Thursday at 8:35 a.m. against No. 5 SMU.
 
Live streaming of the NCEA Championships can be seen on www.EQSports.net, while live scoring can be found at www.baylorbears.com/ot/ncea-champs2018.html.
 
To learn more about the Aggie equestrian team, log onto 12thman.com or follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter.