Thursday, April 14
Ocala, Fla.
1:30 PM
Texas A&M
vs
Baylor
Photo by: Rachel Mahan/Texas A&M Athletics
No. 3 Aggies Embark for NCEA Championship
Apr 13, 2022 | Equestrian
OCALA, Fla. – Third-seeded Texas A&M equestrian team (12-4) begins play at the National Collegiate Equestrian Association National Championship against No. 6 Baylor on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. CT inside the World Equestrian Center.
Nationals History
The Aggies are looking to secure the program's 10th NCEA national championship and 13th overall. The Maroon & White were last crowned NCEA Champions in 2017. Since 2002, Texas A&M's nine NCEA national championships is third-most behind Georgia (13) and Auburn (12). The Maroon & White last won the championship in 2017, 11-5, over No. 2 Georgia. The Aggies entered the meet as the No. 5 seed and defeated No. 12 Delaware State, 13-2, No. 4 Oklahoma State, 14-1, and No. 9 TCU, 16-0. Rebekah Chenelle (Flat), Avery Ellis (Horsemanship) and Sarah McIntire (Reining) highlighted the meet earning Most Outstanding Performer accolades.
The Field
Southeastern Conference champions Auburn enter the competition as the No. 2 seed, behind Big 12 Conference champions Oklahoma State at No. 1. TCU earned the No. 4 seed, while defending national champions Georgia are No. 5. SMU and Fresno State round out the bracket as the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds, respectively.
Series
The Aggies split the season series, 1-1, with the Bears. Thursday's contest is the 30th all-time meeting with Texas A&M holding a 20-9 advantage. The Maroon & White have won six of the last seven matchups. The winner of Thursday's meet will square off against the winner of the No. 2 Auburn-No.7 SMU meet on Friday in the semifinals beginning at 1 p.m. CT.
Yearly Awards
Standouts MacKenzie Chapman, Emmy-Lu Marsh and Hanna Olaussen earned NCEA Ariat All-American honors. Chapman led the Aggies in Horsemanship with a 10-2-2 record, including two Most Outstanding Performer honors. Marsh highlighted Reining registering an 8-4-2 record while racking up three MOPs. Olaussen went 8-4-2 in her rookie campaign in Horsemanship with one MOP accolade.
Seven Aggies earned 10 Southeastern Conference postseason honors. Senior Lisa Bricker and junior Marsh were named to the All-SEC Reining Team, while junior Hayley Riddle, Olaussen and Chapman earned All-SEC Horsemanship honors. Senior Caroline Dance received All-SEC Flat honors, while also being named a part of the Community Service Team for her efforts in serving Brazos County. Brooke Brombach earned All-Freshman Fences in her debut season. Olaussen was also named All-SEC Freshman and Freshman Rider of the Year in Horsemanship.
How to Keep Up
A live stream of the NCEA Championships can be seen on Horse and Country, with a paid membership here, while live scoring can be found here. Fans can also follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter for up-to-date results.
Texas A&M Quotes
Head Coach Tana McKay
on coming off an SEC Championship runner-up finish and practice the past couple weeks…
"The championships are what we work for all year long. Coming off a disappointing conference championships has put some fire under the girls. They're ready. Every competition is going to tell you something new and all the little mistakes and trying to clean stuff up. The only thing we add to it is pressure. Obviously, there is going to be more pressure during the national championships. There's no way to totally recreate that, but we try to add some pressure and see how they can handle it."
on the World Equestrian Center…
"We're excited for the new facility. It's a world class facility and they call it the Disneyland of equestrian. We're looking forward to being there to see what it's all about and to have our competitions and schools recognized in a little bit of a different venue."
on what the team…
"Championships are always a little bit different than the regular season because we travel with our horses. We're taking a group of 12 horses and the girls always look forward to being able to take our four-legged teammates. The other piece to it is knowing how hard they have worked and they've been recognized for it and they're ready for it. This team is talented, they can be successful and they know that. They're ready to go and take that test and showcase our talent."
To learn more about Texas A&M equestrian, log on to 12thMan.com or follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
Nationals History
The Aggies are looking to secure the program's 10th NCEA national championship and 13th overall. The Maroon & White were last crowned NCEA Champions in 2017. Since 2002, Texas A&M's nine NCEA national championships is third-most behind Georgia (13) and Auburn (12). The Maroon & White last won the championship in 2017, 11-5, over No. 2 Georgia. The Aggies entered the meet as the No. 5 seed and defeated No. 12 Delaware State, 13-2, No. 4 Oklahoma State, 14-1, and No. 9 TCU, 16-0. Rebekah Chenelle (Flat), Avery Ellis (Horsemanship) and Sarah McIntire (Reining) highlighted the meet earning Most Outstanding Performer accolades.
The Field
Southeastern Conference champions Auburn enter the competition as the No. 2 seed, behind Big 12 Conference champions Oklahoma State at No. 1. TCU earned the No. 4 seed, while defending national champions Georgia are No. 5. SMU and Fresno State round out the bracket as the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds, respectively.
Series
The Aggies split the season series, 1-1, with the Bears. Thursday's contest is the 30th all-time meeting with Texas A&M holding a 20-9 advantage. The Maroon & White have won six of the last seven matchups. The winner of Thursday's meet will square off against the winner of the No. 2 Auburn-No.7 SMU meet on Friday in the semifinals beginning at 1 p.m. CT.
Yearly Awards
Standouts MacKenzie Chapman, Emmy-Lu Marsh and Hanna Olaussen earned NCEA Ariat All-American honors. Chapman led the Aggies in Horsemanship with a 10-2-2 record, including two Most Outstanding Performer honors. Marsh highlighted Reining registering an 8-4-2 record while racking up three MOPs. Olaussen went 8-4-2 in her rookie campaign in Horsemanship with one MOP accolade.
Seven Aggies earned 10 Southeastern Conference postseason honors. Senior Lisa Bricker and junior Marsh were named to the All-SEC Reining Team, while junior Hayley Riddle, Olaussen and Chapman earned All-SEC Horsemanship honors. Senior Caroline Dance received All-SEC Flat honors, while also being named a part of the Community Service Team for her efforts in serving Brazos County. Brooke Brombach earned All-Freshman Fences in her debut season. Olaussen was also named All-SEC Freshman and Freshman Rider of the Year in Horsemanship.
How to Keep Up
A live stream of the NCEA Championships can be seen on Horse and Country, with a paid membership here, while live scoring can be found here. Fans can also follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter for up-to-date results.
Texas A&M Quotes
Head Coach Tana McKay
on coming off an SEC Championship runner-up finish and practice the past couple weeks…
"The championships are what we work for all year long. Coming off a disappointing conference championships has put some fire under the girls. They're ready. Every competition is going to tell you something new and all the little mistakes and trying to clean stuff up. The only thing we add to it is pressure. Obviously, there is going to be more pressure during the national championships. There's no way to totally recreate that, but we try to add some pressure and see how they can handle it."
on the World Equestrian Center…
"We're excited for the new facility. It's a world class facility and they call it the Disneyland of equestrian. We're looking forward to being there to see what it's all about and to have our competitions and schools recognized in a little bit of a different venue."
on what the team…
"Championships are always a little bit different than the regular season because we travel with our horses. We're taking a group of 12 horses and the girls always look forward to being able to take our four-legged teammates. The other piece to it is knowing how hard they have worked and they've been recognized for it and they're ready for it. This team is talented, they can be successful and they know that. They're ready to go and take that test and showcase our talent."
To learn more about Texas A&M equestrian, log on to 12thMan.com or follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
Players Mentioned
Reining
/ Equestrian
Jumping Seat
/ Equestrian
Horsemanship
/ Equestrian
Jumping Seat
/ Equestrian
Reining
/ Equestrian
Horsemanship
/ Equestrian
Horsemanship
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