No. 2 Gamecocks hope to avenge NCAA runner-up finish last year
Exactly five months after falling in the national championship by way of a tiebreaker, the South Carolina equestrian team will officially begin its quest for a third overall national title.
The No. 2 Gamecocks will open on the road for the first time in school history when they square off against Kansas State Friday. Memories of a narrow defeat at the end of the last season are still fresh in the minds of the returning players and coaches, leaving head coach Boo Major with lofty goals for the upcoming season.
“We would certainly love to win the SEC again,” Major said. “To think that we can win it for the third time in a row is about as lofty a goal as you can get. And then we’re always striving to finish as well as we can at the national championship.”
Experience on the Hunt Seat team figures to carry the squad as only one player departed from last season’s national runner-up lineup. Senior Katherine Schmidt will lead this experienced group.
The Ridgefield, Connecticut native went 30-3-1 in hunt seat action en route to a pair of First Team All-America honors by the National Collegiate Equestrian Association. Schmidt is now a six-time NCEA All-American, the most in program history.
Other key riders for the Gamecocks on the hunt seat team include senior Amber Henter (13-6 last season), senior Alexa Anthony (18-9-5 last season), and junior Samantha Smith (23-12 last season).
On the Western team, Major does not have the same luxury of stability. Five riders — three from the horsemanship lineup and two from reining lineup — who started in the national championship have graduated. The team will spend the six fall meets shuffling players in, including their 13 incoming freshmen, to find their best mix come spring.
A key addition for South Carolina this season comes off of the playing surfaces. During the offseason, Major convinced Hillary Dobbs to come join her coaching staff as the Hunt Seat Coach after Carol Gwin was named head coach at Southern Methodist University in June.
Dobbs opens up a new chapter of her career in the coaching department after a very successful career on horseback. Dobbs is perhaps most notable for being the youngest professional rider to accumulate $1 million in prize money, which came from her 31 grand prix wins.
She also brings a bevy of international experience to share with the Gamecocks, having represented the United States in two World Cup finals in addition to winning three gold medals and one silver medal in team competition at the Nations Cup, much to the excitement of Major.
“She [Dobbs] comes from a phenomenal background and she has lots of respect,” Major said. “We as coaches have gelled very quickly and I think she’s gelled very quickly with our team. She’s going to be a huge asset for us."
Cupcake meets were not a consideration for Major when comprising this year’s schedule. Kansas State is No. 6 in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association Preseason Poll. Looming past the Wildcats are the Georgia Bulldogs, who just happen to be the team that gave the Gamecocks a crushing championship defeat. The title win launched Georgia into No. 1 in the NCEA preseason poll.
Major said that the early tests would be a needed measuring stick to let the team know what kind of progress they have made in the preseason.
“I think knowing that we do have Georgia in two weeks will help us to prepare better for Georgia,” Major said. “Win or lose [this week], it will give us a starting point for where we are and where we need to be.”