No. 8 TCU Opens at No. 9 SMU
9/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
Sept. 22, 2015 
FORT WORTH, Texas -- The No. 8 ranked TCU equestrian program heads east to begin its season against No. 9 SMU on Thursday at Sleepy P Ranch. Start time is set for 10 a.m. CT in Bartonville.
"We are very excited to open our season against SMU on Thursday," said TCU Director of Equestrian Haley Schoolfield. "Our team will bring preparation, dedication and talent to the meet. We are very much looking forward to a great day of competition."
Follow the Frogs
A full recap and final results will be available following Thursday's competition on GoFrogs.com. During the meet, live results will also be made available on the official TCU equestrian twitter page. Fans are encouraged to follow @TCUWEquestrian.
The All-Time Series
The Horned Frogs and Mustangs will battle for the eleventh time in program history Thursday. TCU holds a 6-4 advantage in the all-time series and has won four out of the last six meetings.
TCU Opens Season Ranked
TCU opens the year ranked No. 8 in the NCEA preseason polls. The highest regular-season ranking in program history came last season when TCU jumped to No. 2 in the polls in November.
TCU In Season Openers
The Horned Frogs bring an impressive resume in season-openers into Thursday's competition as they have won four out of their last five season-opening meets, including three-straight. The last time TCU and SMU faced each other in a season-opener came during 2011.
All-America Lineup Returns
Coming off a season in which TCU finished third at the Big 12 Championship, the highest in conference history, the Frogs lineup is littered with NCEA All-America honorees this season, including Nicole Diamantis, Erin Gillette, Kari Hancock, Shelby St. Hilaire, Megan McMullen and Chantz Stewart.
Scouting TCU Hunt Seat
The Hunt Seat program will rely heavily on Nicole Diamantis and Kari Hancock during the early portion of its schedule. Hancock wrapped-up the 2014-15 campaign garnering eight victories and five MOP honors en route to NCEA First-team All-American and all-conference honors. Diamantis was also stellar as she recorded three MOP's on the year and 13 victories overall between Equitation on the Flat and Equitation over Fences, respectively. Look for junior Molly Peddicord and sophomore Jayme Omand to also have a huge impact on TCU's success on both disciplines after putting together some solid performance last season.
Scouting TCU Western
The Purple and White will have a new face leading them this season with the addition of Western Head Coach Melissa Dukes. The cupboard is not void of talent though as Dukes will have the luxury of having several all-conference honorees from the last two seasons to help a talented crop of newcomers get their feet wet.
Leading the way for TCU this season will once again be Chantz Stewart who should push for First-Team All-American accolades in her final season in a Horned Frog uniform after being named the Big 12 Reining Ride of the Year a year ago. The senior is coming off a year in which she capture eight wins in Reining, including a 6-0 mark in which she captures play. Not to be outdone, Megan McMullen was just as dominate on the other side of the discipline as she captures Second-Team All-America and all-league honors after going 9-2-1 in Horsemanship with three MOP awards.
Look for two proven seniors in Shelby St. Hilaire and Erin Gillette to also play major factors this season in the Horned Frog lineup. St. Hilaire posted seven wins last season in Reining and went 2-1 in post-season play. Gillette had some success a year ago with two MOP's in Horsemanship and had been named All-American during her time in Fort Worth.
Scouting SMU
SMU begins the year ranked No. 9 in the NCEA national rankings. The Mustangs are coming off a pre-season win over Baylor by tiebreaker. Against the Bears, SMU jumped out to a 7-3 lead following Reining and Equitation over Fences before winning in Equitation on the Flat to claim victory.
The Mustangs finished last season with a 7-8 overall record, going undefeated at home. SMU advanced to the UEC Championships as a two-seed before closing the year, falling to K-State at nationals.
Up Next
The Frogs will next be in action Friday, Oct. 2 at South Carolina.
"We are very excited to open our season against SMU on Thursday," said TCU Director of Equestrian Haley Schoolfield. "Our team will bring preparation, dedication and talent to the meet. We are very much looking forward to a great day of competition."
Follow the Frogs
A full recap and final results will be available following Thursday's competition on GoFrogs.com. During the meet, live results will also be made available on the official TCU equestrian twitter page. Fans are encouraged to follow @TCUWEquestrian.
The All-Time Series
The Horned Frogs and Mustangs will battle for the eleventh time in program history Thursday. TCU holds a 6-4 advantage in the all-time series and has won four out of the last six meetings.
TCU Opens Season Ranked
TCU opens the year ranked No. 8 in the NCEA preseason polls. The highest regular-season ranking in program history came last season when TCU jumped to No. 2 in the polls in November.
TCU In Season Openers
The Horned Frogs bring an impressive resume in season-openers into Thursday's competition as they have won four out of their last five season-opening meets, including three-straight. The last time TCU and SMU faced each other in a season-opener came during 2011.
All-America Lineup Returns
Coming off a season in which TCU finished third at the Big 12 Championship, the highest in conference history, the Frogs lineup is littered with NCEA All-America honorees this season, including Nicole Diamantis, Erin Gillette, Kari Hancock, Shelby St. Hilaire, Megan McMullen and Chantz Stewart.
Scouting TCU Hunt Seat
The Hunt Seat program will rely heavily on Nicole Diamantis and Kari Hancock during the early portion of its schedule. Hancock wrapped-up the 2014-15 campaign garnering eight victories and five MOP honors en route to NCEA First-team All-American and all-conference honors. Diamantis was also stellar as she recorded three MOP's on the year and 13 victories overall between Equitation on the Flat and Equitation over Fences, respectively. Look for junior Molly Peddicord and sophomore Jayme Omand to also have a huge impact on TCU's success on both disciplines after putting together some solid performance last season.
Scouting TCU Western
The Purple and White will have a new face leading them this season with the addition of Western Head Coach Melissa Dukes. The cupboard is not void of talent though as Dukes will have the luxury of having several all-conference honorees from the last two seasons to help a talented crop of newcomers get their feet wet.
Leading the way for TCU this season will once again be Chantz Stewart who should push for First-Team All-American accolades in her final season in a Horned Frog uniform after being named the Big 12 Reining Ride of the Year a year ago. The senior is coming off a year in which she capture eight wins in Reining, including a 6-0 mark in which she captures play. Not to be outdone, Megan McMullen was just as dominate on the other side of the discipline as she captures Second-Team All-America and all-league honors after going 9-2-1 in Horsemanship with three MOP awards.
Look for two proven seniors in Shelby St. Hilaire and Erin Gillette to also play major factors this season in the Horned Frog lineup. St. Hilaire posted seven wins last season in Reining and went 2-1 in post-season play. Gillette had some success a year ago with two MOP's in Horsemanship and had been named All-American during her time in Fort Worth.
Scouting SMU
SMU begins the year ranked No. 9 in the NCEA national rankings. The Mustangs are coming off a pre-season win over Baylor by tiebreaker. Against the Bears, SMU jumped out to a 7-3 lead following Reining and Equitation over Fences before winning in Equitation on the Flat to claim victory.
The Mustangs finished last season with a 7-8 overall record, going undefeated at home. SMU advanced to the UEC Championships as a two-seed before closing the year, falling to K-State at nationals.
Up Next
The Frogs will next be in action Friday, Oct. 2 at South Carolina.
Players Mentioned
Hunt Seat
/ Equestrian
Western
/ Equestrian
Hunt Seat
/ Equestrian
Western
/ Equestrian
Western
/ Equestrian
Hunt Seat
/ Equestrian
Hunt Seat
/ Equestrian
Western
/ EquestrianEquestrian | Welcome to KSM Bear Creek Farms
Friday, March 28
TCU Equestrian: 2023 Spring
Wednesday, August 30
TCU Equestrian: 2023 First Team Practice
Wednesday, August 30
TCU vs. Oklahoma State (Jumping Seat)
Sunday, February 21
