Aggie Equestrian Defeats TCU to Advance to NCEA Championship Semifinals

News release from Texas A&M Athletics: 

The No. 2 seed Texas A&M equestrian team advanced to the NCEA National Championship semifinals with an 11-8 victory over No. 7 seed TCU in quarterfinal action Thursday afternoon at the World Equestrian Center.

The tournament advances all SEC teams to become an SEC dominant National Championship.

The Aggies (8-5) set the tone early with a 4-1 win in Reining behind winning performances from Gracie Casebolt (71.7), Isabelle Gonzalez, Mattie Gustin (72.3) and Anna Harris (72.5). Gonzalez’s ride of 73 on Giallo marked a new personal best and matched the team’s season high.

The Maroon & White extended their lead in Fences with a 3-1 victory. Kate Egan (81.3), Alexa Leong (85.7) and Grace Shipman (87.3) each secured points to give Texas A&M a 7-2 advantage headed into the half.

Following the break, the Aggies added four more points across Flat and Horsemanship. Nicole McMillion (87) and Shipman contributed points in Flat, while Meagan Braun (75.8) and Kendall Dirksen (76.7) picked up the other two points in Horsemanship.

Quotes
Head Coach Tana McCay on the Western Riders
“I couldn’t be more proud of the Western team. They had a really strong start, especially the Reiners. They’ve been consistent here recently. There were some really strong rides and high scores and they’ve been really solid for us here in postseason.”

Associate Head Coach Abby O’Mara on the Jumping Seat Team
“On the Jumping Seat side, we had a really strong start in Fences followed by high scores in Flat with high 80’s across the board. Overall, I’m very happy with the rides. There were minimal mistakes, just going out there, being clean, and showing off.”

Up Next
Texas A&M will face No. 3 seed Georgia on Friday at 8 a.m. in the semifinal round. The matchup will be aired on ESPN+ and the USEF Network powered by ClipMyHorse.TV. Live results from the meet can be found here.

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