Horned Frogs Travel To National Championships
4/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
April 14, 2010
HUNT SEAT BRACKET | INDIVIDUAL BRACKET | WESTERN BRACKET
FORT WORTH, Texas - The nationally ranked TCU equestrian program will open competition on Thursday at the 2010 Varsity Equestrian National Championships in Waco.This is the fourth-straight year that the Horned Frogs have been invited to the championships, which will take place at the Heart O' Texas Fair Complex. The TCU Western team enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed. The Frogs, who captured the 2008 Western National Championship, will face the winner of No. 5 Georgia versus No. 12 South Dakota State.
The Frogs' Hunt Seat team makes its second-straight appearance at the Varsity Equestrian National Championships as they enter the tournament as the No. 12 seed. TCU will play host No. 5 Baylor in first round action as it looks for its first victory over the Bears this season.
In the individual bracket of the Western division, senior Carrie von Uhlit, who is the defending National Champion in Reining, comes into the tournament as the No. 2 seed in Reining. Von Uhlit will battle teammate Kelsey Huffman, who is the No. 7 seed, in the opening round.
In Horsemanship, Courtney Chown enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed, while Huffman will open competition as the No. 6 seed in the event. Chown will look to advance against Marissa Dalton of Oklahoma State, while Huffman will open with Auburn's Indy Roper.
"We are strong, confident and ready for this," said head coach Gary Reynolds. "We have worked really hard and are ready to take on the world."
Following The National Championships
Fans not able to attend the Varsity Equestrian National Championships this week can follow the action live by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. Following each day in Waco, a full recap and final results will be posted daily on the TCU athletics website.
This Week's Schedule In Waco
Competition is slated to begin on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. in Waco and will continue through Saturday afternoon.
Individually, Carrie von Uhlit and Kelsey Huffman will square off against each other in first round Reining action at approximately 3:15 p.m. on Friday, while Courtney Chown will take to the arena against OSU's Marissa Dalton at approximately 1 p.m. on Friday in Horsemanship. Huffman will close Friday night against Auburn's Indy Roper at 6 p.m. in the first round of Horsemanship.
As a team, the Western squad, who received a first round bye, will begin competition at 3:40 p.m. on Thursday with Reining, while Horsemanship will follow at 5:20 p.m. The Frogs will take on the winner of South Dakota State and Georgia, who claimed the overall championship in 2009. On the English side, TCU will battle Baylor on Thursday morning at approximately at 8:30 a.m. in Equitation over Fences, while the Frogs will open competition against the Bears at 11 a.m. in Equitation on the Flat.
National Championship History
When TCU begins competition on Thursday in Waco, the Frogs will carry a storied history into nationals. In 2008, the Purple and White captured the Western National Championship. They followed that up last spring earning Reserve Western National Championship accolades, falling to Texas A&M in the finals.
In 2009, senior Carrie von Uhlit was crowned the individual champion in Reining, while sophomore Courtney Chown brought home second-place honors in Horsemanship, dropping a heartbreaker in the finals to Texas A&M's Caroline Gunn.
Players Mentioned
