TCU Set To Open Season Against SMU
9/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
Sept. 15, 2010
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU women's equestrian program will open its 2010 campaign this Friday hosting cross-town rival SMU.
The game against the Mustangs will begin at 11 a.m. at October Hill Farm, which is located in Hudson Oaks, Texas. TCU and SMU will compete in only Hunt Seat on Friday.
"We are very excited about hosting SMU," said assistant coach Kindel Huffman. "We are ready to take off from our success at nationals. We have a lot of returning riders and a few new faces, so Friday should be a good opening game for us. The girls have really been working hard and I think we will be ready for the Mustangs."
Follow The Horned Frogs
A full recap and final results will be made available following TCU's season opener on GoFrogs.com.
A New Home For 2010
The Purple and White will compete and house their horses at October Hill Farm this season. The facility is located just 25 miles west of Fort Worth and is situated over 200 acres in Hudson Oaks, Texas. It is overseen by President and General Manager Wendy Davis Gerrish, who graduated from TCU with a master's degree in liberal arts in 1999, and Erin Davis Walsh, Vice President of Operations and head rider.
October Hill Farms boasts a 28,800 square foot fully enclosed arena, which is surfaced with state-of-the-art Terra2000 footing. The riding arena, which is a 120x240 riding space, is structured with retracting overhead doors and mechanically controlled windows that allow for air circulation.
Directions To October Hill Farm From TCU
Head south on Stadium Drive toward Cantey Street
Take the first left onto Cantey Street
Take the third left onto S University Drive
Turn left to merge onto I-30 West
Merge onto I-20 West
Take exit 415 toward TX-5/Annetta/Mikus Road
Merge onto I-20 Frontage Road
Turn left at Mikus Road
Continue onto Annetta Rd/Farm to Market Road 5 West
Turn right at E Bankhead Drive
Destination will be on the left
Physical Address
4302 E Bankhead Hwy
Hudson Oaks, TX 76087
Scouting TCU Hunt Seat
The Horned Frogs, who return nearly every rider from a squad that posted its highest finish ever at nationals last spring, come into this season with high expectations under second year coach Kindel Huffman.
During the 2010 season, the Hunt Seat squad made its second-consecutive trip to the Varsity Equestrian National Championships, closing competition sixth overall in the final team standings. The Frogs, who compiled victories over Baylor and Fresno State at nationals, will lean on several talented returnees during the early portion of their schedule.
The Horned Frogs Hunt Seat team will be led this fall by a quartet of seniors in Jessica Hagen, Tassie Munroe, Juli Skobel and Milana Trimino. All four will be in competition against the Mustangs on Friday.
Munroe, who finished the year with four victories, will look to close her career in style after several key wins at nationals. Hagen returns following a banner junior season in which she claimed eight victories and four MVP honors. Skobel, a senior from Houston, will look to improve upon her three wins in 2009-10, while Trimino comes into this season having recorded nine victories and one MVP honor in Equitation on the Flat.
Look for Victoria Lee, Lauren Quiroz and Callie Selchau to also play major roles on this year's Hunt Seat squad following solid 2009-10 seasons. Lee and Quiroz posted seven victories in Equitation over Fences, respectively, while Selchau won five contests last season.
Haley Jacobi, who will be in competition this Friday, came on late last spring, recording five victories and should be a major factor upon TCU's success during the 2010-11 season.
Scouting SMU Hunt Seat
SMU returns a solid squad this fall, including junior Mallory Olson and sophomore Danielle Gersh, who both claimed victories at nationals.
Overall, the Mustangs qualified for the Varsity Equestrian National Championships last spring for a sixth-consecutive season, claiming the No. 11 seed at nationals. Oklahoma State upended SMU, 4-4, in the first round of nationals.
The Mustangs are led by former TCU assistant Haley Schoolfield. In 2009-10, Schoolfield led SMU to victories over Texas A&M, Tennessee-Martin and South Dakota State.
The Series Between TCU and SMU
In five years, the Frogs and Mustangs have competed against each other five different times with TCU leading the all-time series, 3-2. The Purple and White, who have won two of the last three meetings, posted a 7-5 decision over SMU in 2010.
Last spring, the Horned Frogs scored a 4-2 decision in Equitation over Fences, outscoring SMU, 472-445. The Frogs also outscored the Mustangs in Equitation on the Flat, 427-420, but ended competition in a 3-3 draw. Overall, the Purple and White dominated its cross-town counterparts, 899-865.
Up Next
TCU will next be in action against Tennessee-Martin on Saturday, Oct. 2.
Players Mentioned
