No. 7 TCU Set for NCEA National Championships
4/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
April 15, 2015
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FORT WORTH, Texas - No. 7 seeded TCU heads to Waco this week for the 2015 NCEA National Championships, which will begin on Thursday at the Extraco Events Center."This week is what we have worked all year for," said TCU Director of Equestrian Haley Schoolfield. "The team has worked hard and are ready to put their training to the test."
The Horned Frogs, who went 6-7 overall, will battle a familiar foe in No. 10 seed Oklahoma State, beginning Thursday at 8:30 a.m. The winner of the opening-round meet will face No. 2 seed Baylor, who recently claimed the Big 12 Conference Championship in Springtown.
This is the ninth-straight year in which the Frogs have been invited to nationals, which will open on Thursday, April 16 and run through Saturday, April 18.
All-Time Series
The Purple and White and Cowgirls will compete for the 17th time in program history Thursday. The series is currently tied at 8-8 after TCU defeated Oklahoma State at the Big 12 Championships, 11-9. In all, the Frogs have won six out of the last eight meetings. The Purple and White went 3-1 against the Cowgirls this season and last faced OSU at nationals in 2012 as the Western team fell, 5-3.
Follow It Live
Fans not able to attend the NCEA Championships 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. During the meets, live results will be made available at the official TCU equestrian twitter page. Fans are encouraged to follow @TCUWEquestrian. A live webcast will also be made available during competition by clicking on the live video link on the right side of the schedule page on GoFrogs.com.
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 in 2009 earning Reserve Western National Championship accolades, falling to Texas A&M in the finals.
In 2010, the squad made program history, wrapping up competition in fourth-place in the final team standings at the 2010 Varsity Equestrian National Championships. The fourth-place finish is the highest placing for a Horned Frog squad at nationals.
Six Collect NCEA All-America Honors
TCU had six student-athletes earn NCEA All-America accolades this season, including sophomore Kari Hancock who claimed First-Team recognition.
With six student-athletes honored, the Horned Frogs have now had 19 student-athletes all-time earn All-America recognition by the NCEA. When broken down, TCU has had 12 NCEA All-America honors in program history in Western. On the Hunt Seat side, the Frogs have now had seven NCEA All-America honors all-time. The six 2015 recipients tied for the most All-America awards in a single-season in school history, joining only the 2013 team.
By being named NCEA First-Team All-American, Hancock became the second Horned Frog in school history to claim first-team accolades on the Hunt Seat side. An All-Big 12 honoree, Hancock, who was one of only four honored nationally in Equitation on the Flat, went 8-5 on the year, while collecting five MOP honors. She also posted a 5-1 mark in league action.
Earning NCEA Second-Team All-America status were sophomore Megan McMullen in Horsemanship and junior Chantz Stewart in Reining. Rounding out the Frog award winners were junior Nicole Diamantis (Equitation over Fences) and senior duo Kaitlin Perry (Equitation on the Flat) and Katelyn Gray (Reining), respectively. All three were named Honorable Mention All-American by the NCEA. Both Gray and Perry were named NCEA All-Americans for a second time in their storied careers.
Duo Honored by Big 12 Conference
Senior Kaitlin Perry and sophomore Megan McMullen recently earned Big 12 Rider of the Month honors for the month of March.
Perry, an all-conference honoree and the NCEA Rider of the Month, went 4-0 during the month of March in Equitation on the Flat, while collecting the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Performer on the Flat. Perry's 173-155 victory over her Baylor counterpart was the highest Flat score of the Championship.
McMullen also went undefeated for the month in Horsemanship, including 2-0 against Big 12 opponents at the conference championship. In all, the all-conference honoree went 3-0-1 in the discipline and shared Rider of the Month accolades with K-State's Danielle Kemper.
Perry Honored By NCEA
TCU senior Kaitlin Perry was honored as the NCEA March Rider of the Month in Equitation on the Flat earlier this month.
Perry went 4-0 during the month, including 2-0 against Big 12 counterparts Baylor and Oklahoma State at the 2015 Big 12 Championship in Springtown. The California native, who has claimed nine victories on the year in the discipline, was also recently honored as the Big 12 Most Outstanding Performer in Equitation on the Flat, while earning all-conference accolades by the league.
Scouting TCU
TCU comes into this Thursday's showdown looking to move to 7-7 on the season. The Horned Frogs, who are the No. 7 seed at nationals, dropped Oklahoma State in its last outing, 11-9.
Individually, several student-athletes have shined during the 2014-15 campaign on the Hunt Seat side, including sophomore Kari Hancock who has captured five MOP honors in Equitation on the Flat. The Alaska native and First-Team All-American honoree has now posted six MOP awards during her young career and is 8-5-0 on the season in Equitation on the Flat. Finally, senior Kaitlin Perry, who was named the Big 12 Most Outstanding Performer in Equitation on the Flat and an All-American, has recorded a 16-8-2 mark with three MOP's between the two disciplines.
On the Western side, Megan McMullen, an all-league honoree has been victorious, riding to a 9-1-1 record in Horsemanship with three MOP's. She recently claimed NCEA All-America accolades. In Reining, Katelyn Gray, who is 8-6-0 in Horsemanship, leads the way for TCU with an 8-5 mark and two MOP's. She was an all-conference and All-America honoree. Chantz Stewart, also an NCEA All-America recipient, has been just as productive, going a perfect 6-0 in competition during conference play in Reining with two MOP's.
Scouting Oklahoma State
The Cowgirls come into this Thursday as the No. 10 seed at the NCEA National Championships. OSU has rode to a 4-7 overall record, including a 3-3 mark in Big 12 play. The Cowgirls went 0-6 away from Stillwater this season and have lost three-straight heading into Thursday.
Oklahoma State recently had three student-athletes earn NCEA All-America accolades. Senior Katy Krshka was named a First Team All-American in both Horsemanship and Reining, respectively. Krshka recorded a 19-3 overall record this season, while also garnering 10 total MOP's. Also claiming All-America status was Lindsey McMullen and Amy White in Horsemanship and Equitation on the Flat, respectively.
Players Mentioned
