Equestrian To Battle Texas A&M At Stock Show
2/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
Feb. 4, 2010
FORT WORTH, Texas - The No. 8 TCU Western squad will take on No. 3 Texas A&M on Friday night underneath the lights of the Fort Worth Stock Show. Start time is set for 6 p.m. inside the Will Rogers Coliseum.
The dual between the two Texas schools will consist of only five western riders from each team.
"The TCU equestrian program continues to make history. The upcoming competition between Texas A&M and TCU marks the first time any such match has taken place at a venue such as the Fort Worth Stock Show," said head coach Gary Reynolds. "We are so fortunate to be able to display our sport at such a prestigious event like the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. Last year, A&M beat us for the Western National Championship. They are coming back to town and it will be a grudge match. I can guarantee an exciting time for everyone to watch."
Follow The Horned Frogs
A full recap and final results will be available following Friday's competition on GoFrogs.com.
Scouting Texas A&M
Texas A&M brings a 6-2 Western record into Friday night's competition. The squad, who is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, closed the month of January with an 8-2 victory over Delaware State. The Aggies are currently on a two-match win streak in Western, compiling victories over South Dakota State and Delaware State, respectively. Texas A&M's only Western losses this season came at the hands of Kansas State and Oklahoma State on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7, respectively.
Caroline Gunn and Carey Nowacek have led A&M in Horsemanship this season, recording a combined record of 14-2. Gunn, who is currently No. 2 in the nation, has collected two MVP accolades heading into this weekend.
In Reining, Maggie Gratny has been almost unstoppable this season as she brings a 7-0-1 record into Friday's contest. She has recorded two MVP honors in 2010 and is currently No. 4 in the nation.
Scouting TCU
TCU, who is 6-5 overall, comes into Friday's contest with a 9-2 overall record in Western competition this season. The squad who currently sits at No. 8 in the nation, downed Tennessee-Martin, 8-2, last Saturday in Western Events.
Senior Carrie von Uhlit once again leads the Horned Frogs this season in Western, compiling a 14-2 overall record between Reining and Horsemanship. The 2008 National Champion has also garnered seven MVP honors in 16 outings. Von Uhlit is currently No. 3 in the nation in Reining and No. 4 in Horsemanship in the nation. Junior Kelsey Huffman has also fared well entering the spring, recording a 8-2 record in Reining, while collecting five wins and two MVP honors in Horsemanship.
The Series Between TCU and Texas A&M
In four years, the Frogs and Aggies have competed against each other five different times with Texas A&M holding a 4-1-0 overall record. TCU's lone win over Texas A&M in Western came in 2008. The Purple and White won a tiebreaker over the Aggies with a raw score of 494.5-494.0.
Last spring, the Frogs fell to Texas A&M, 7-1, at the Varsity Equestrian National Championships. Both schools have combined to capture the last two Western National Championships.
Dual Format Information
Dual format consists of teams competing head to head or in a tournament style format. Each team is required to ride the same horse and judges' scores are compared across horses. The host school provides the horses and tack at each competition. The format includes Equitation on the Flat and Equitation Over Fences, Horsemanship and Reining.
For the Feb. 5 game, only Western events, which consist of Western Horsemanship and Reining, will be run starting at 6 p.m.
Directions To Coliseum West Parking Lot and Western Heritage Parking Garage
Located west of the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall, the lot and garage are accessed from Lancaster Avenue for both east and west bound traffic.
Museum Parking Lot
Located at the northeast corner of Montgomery Street and Harley Avenue south of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the lot is accessed on the north side of Harley Avenue for west bound traffic only.
Harley Avenue Parking Lot
Located at the southeast corner of Montgomery Street and Harley Avenue, the lot is accessed on the south side of Harley Avenue for east bound traffic only.
Camp Bowie Parking Garage
The University of North Texas Health Science Center Parking Garage is located north of Camp Bowie Boulevard (one block north of the Will Rogers Complex) and is available for parking on Friday nights and weekends, the lot is accessed from Camp Bowie Boulevard.
Frogs Remain In National Polls
The TCU equestrian program enters this Friday's game in the top 10 of the Women's Intercollegiate Equestrian National Coaches Poll, coming into the Stock Show dual at No. 8. This weekend's opponent, Texas A&M is currently No. 3 in the poll. Overall, TCU has faced No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Auburn, No. 4 South Carolina, No. 7 Baylor, No. 9 New Mexico State and No. 10 Fresno State.
The Frogs upended No. 4 South Carolina and No. 1 Georgia to close the month of September. TCU also downed No. 10 Fresno State, 10-6, on Oct. 10.
The poll will be released bi-monthly with the next announcement scheduled for Feb. 16, 2010. The final poll will be released April 21, 2010.
National Polls Revisited
Preseason National Poll - No. 8
Oct. 28 National Poll - No. 7
Nov. 11 National Poll - No. 7
Dec. 1 National Poll - No. 7
Feb. 2 National Poll - No. 8
TCU Spread Throughout Individual National Rankings
Coming into this weekend, the Frogs have stacked up well against the rest of the nation. Overall, TCU has four different student-athletes ranked in the top 10 in their respective events.
Senior Carrie von Uhlit currently sits at No. 3 in Reining and No. 4 in Horsemanship, while Chloe Baker enters this weekend's contest at No. 10 overall in reining. Junior Kelsey Huffman rounds out the TCU contingency in Horsemanship at No. 9 in the nation. In Equitation on the Flat, Jessica Hagen is currently at No. 8 in varsity equestrian.
Last Time Out
Ashley Aikman and Carrie von Uhlit both collected MVP honors last Saturday as No. 7 TCU upended Tennessee-Martin in frigid weather conditions, 13-7.
The Horned Frogs dominated the Western side at Fieldstone Park, winning 8-2. TCU outscored the Skyhawks overall in Western, 718-633.5. For the match, the Frogs outscored the UT-Martin, 1358-1352.5.
Up Next
TCU will take on SMU on Feb. 14 in Dallas.
Players Mentioned
