Horned Frogs Open Season Friday Against SMU
9/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
Sept. 21, 2011
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU women's equestrian program will open its 2011 campaign Friday at cross-town rival SMU.
The game against the Mustangs will begin at 10 a.m. at BuckBranch Farm, which is located in Wilmer, Texas. TCU and SMU will compete in only Hunt Seat Friday.
"I'm really excited to start our competition season against SMU," said head coach Logan Fiorentino. "They are a great team and this will be a great match-up for us as we begin our fall schedule. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the hard work these young ladies have put forward pay off."
Follow The Horned Frogs
A full recap and final results will be made available following TCU's season opener on GoFrogs.com.
Series Breakdown
In six years, the Frogs and Mustangs have competed against each other six different times with TCU leading the all-time series, 4-2. The Purple and White, who have won three of the last four meetings, posted a 7-4 decision over SMU in 2011.
A New Face In The Crowd
TCU will see a new face roaming October Hill Farms this season with newly hired Hunt Seat Head Coach Logan Fiorentino.
Fiorentino comes to Fort Worth following three seasons as an assistant at the University of Georgia where the program captured the overall Varsity Equestrian National Championship twice during her stay.
While at Georgia, Fiorentino coached the Bulldogs to the 2010 Hunt Seat National Championship and 2011 Hunt Seat Reserve National Championship.
Scouting TCU Hunt Seat
The Horned Frogs come into this season with high expectations under first year head coach Logan Fiorentino.
During the 2010-11 season, the Hunt Seat squad, who garnered an opening round victory over Kansas State at nationals last spring, will lean on several talented returnees during the early portion of their schedule.
The Horned Frog Hunt Seat team will most likely rely on returning Honorable Mention All-America honoree Callie Selchau early and often this fall, while senior's Taylor Frederick and Victoria Lee should also have major impacts on the Purple and White's success this year. Both Selchau and Frederick will be in competition against the Mustangs on Friday.
Selchau, who finished the year with five victories in Equitation on the Flat, will look to open her junior campaign in style after becoming the first Hunt Seat rider in program history to earn All-America accolades last spring. Frederick returns following a banner junior season in which she claimed six victories and one MVP honor. Lee, a senior from Tennessee, will look to improve upon her four wins in 2010-11.
Look for sophomore Caitlin Ader and junior Haley Jacobi to also play major roles on this year's Hunt Seat squad following solid 2010-11 seasons. Ader came on late last spring, scoring a point for the Frogs by defeating Kansas State's Sarah Mershon at nationals with a score of 143. Jacobi, who will also be in competition this Friday, comes into the season having won five contests last year.
Several talented newcomers grace the Hunt Seat side this season. Both Gabbi Langston and Kaitlin Perry are scheduled to see their first collegiate action against SMU.
Scouting SMU
SMU comes into this weekend having already taken on Baylor in an exhibition to open the month of September.
The Mustangs dropped a 7-5 decision to the Bears, but outscored Baylor by a raw score of 869-866. Sophomore Renick Townsend led the Bear attack, earning MVP honors in Equitation over Fences.
In addition, Lucy Blundon, Greer Hindle and Alessandra Shultz each earned a point for SMU in Equitation on the Flat and should be major contributors against the Horned Frogs this Friday.
Up Next
Following its season-opening game against the Mustangs, TCU will hit the road to take on South Carolina and Auburn next weekend.
Players Mentioned
