No. 6 TCU Set for NCEA National Championships
4/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
April 13, 2016
FORT WORTH, Texas - No. 6 seeded TCU heads to Waco this week for the 2016 NCEA National Championships, which will begin on Thursday at the Extraco Events Center.The Horned Frogs, who went 6-8 overall and are coming off a third-place showing at the Big 12 Championship, will face No. 11 seeded New Mexico State in the opening round. The winner of the first round match-up will face No. 3 seeded Baylor, who earned runner-up honors at the conference championship.
This is the 10th-straight year in which the Frogs have been invited to nationals, which will open on Thursday, April 14 and run through Saturday, April 16.
All-Time Series
TCU claimed a 12-5 decision over the Aggies in October at Turning Point Ranch. The Frogs currently lead the all-time series at 4-3, but the two teams will match-up for the first time ever at nationals.
Follow The Frogs
Fans not able to attend the NCEA Championship 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 championship, live results will be made available on 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.
Four Earn NCEA All-America Honors
TCU had four student-athletes earn NCEA All-America accolades, including junior Molly Peddicord who claimed All-America honors in two disciplines.
With four student-athletes honored, the Horned Frogs have now had 24 All-American's in program history. When broken down, TCU has had 14 NCEA All-America honors in program history in Western. On the Hunt Seat side, the Frogs have now had 10 NCEA All-America honors all-time.
Also earning NCEA First-Team All-America status last Thursday were junior Megan McMullen in Horsemanship and senior Chantz Stewart in Reining. Rounding out the Frog award winners was sophomore Jayme Omand who collected Honorable Mention All-America accolades in Equitation on the Flat, joining Peddicord.
McMullen, Peddicord and Stewart join elite company as the Frogs have now had only seven student-athletes ever be named a two-time All-American during their time in Fort Worth, joining all-time greats Alexi Child, Alexie Estrada, Katelyn Gray and Kaitlin Perry.
Peddicord Makes History
By being named a NCEA First-Team All-America honoree, Molly Peddicord became the first student-athlete in program history to claim first-team recognition in Equitation over Fences. She also became the first student-athlete in school history to be named an All-American in two different disciplines the same year by claiming Honorable Mention All-America honors in Equitation on the Flat as well. Peddicord is only the second Horned Frog to ever be honored in Fences, joining teammate Nicole Diamantis who earned Honorable Mention All-America recognition a year ago. She is also only the third student-athlete to ever earn first-team recognition in Hunt Seat. All three have come under the direction of Hunt Seat head coach Logan Fiorentino.
Fiorentino To Be Honored Wednesday Night
TCU Hunt Seat head coach Logan Fiorentino will be honored Wednesday night as part of the inaugural class of NCEA Distinguished Alumni. Fiorentino graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Georgia in 2006 with a bachelor's of science in sport business. She followed that with a master's degree in sport management in 2007.
Fiorentino came 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. Additionally, she helped mentor the 2009 Individual Equitation over Fences National Champion and 2010 Individual Fences Reserve National Champion.
Since arriving at TCU in 2011-12, Fiorentino has single handedly turned around the Horned Frogs Hunt Seat program both in the classroom and show ring. Some highlights during Fiorentino's tenure include multiple First Team Academic All-America honorees, two-straight Big 12 Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year honorees, the Big 12 Most Outstanding Performer and several All-America accolades, including back-to-back First-Team selections the last two years.
Nominees for the Class of 2016 NCEA Distinguished Alumni Awards must have earned a degree before/including 2010; and have a record of successful contributions in athletic, academic, service, and professional endeavors.
Scouting TCU
TCU comes into this Thursday's showdown looking to move to 7-8 on the season. The Horned Frogs, who are the No. 6 seed at nationals, dropped Kansas State in its last outing, 11-8.
Individually, several student-athletes have shined during the 2015-16 campaign on the Hunt Seat side, including Molly Peddicord who has captured six MOP honors in Equitation over Fences. The junior has posted a 22-6-0 overall record this year between the two Hunt Seat disciplines. Senior Nicole Diamantis has recorded 14 victories with three MOP's between the two disciplines. Finally, Jayme Omand has also shined bright on the Flat this season, recording a 9-5 overall record en route to All-America accolades last week.
On the Western side, All-American Megan McMullen has been victorious, riding to an 10-4-0 record in Horsemanship with three MOP's. She recently went 2-0 in competition at the Big 12 Championship. In Reining, Chantz Stewart, the Big 12 Rider of the Year and First Team All-America selection, has been just as productive, going 5-1 in competition during conference play in Reining, while recording an 12-2 overall mark. Senior Erin Gillette will look to close her career in style in Waco as she is coming off a 2-0 performance in Horsemanship in Stillwater.
Scouting New Mexico State
New Mexico State, 6-7 overall, comes into nationals off a two-meet winning streak after claiming the United Equestrian Conference Championship. The Aggies are coming off a 12-4 victory over UT Martin. Individually, Hallie Padilla was named the tournament MOP in Horsemanship after going 2-0 in competition.
NMSU, who comes into nationals as the No. 11 seed, have defeated SMU, Fresno State, South Dakota State, West Texas A&M, Delaware State and UT Martin this season.
Players Mentioned
