April 15, 2008
VENC Bracket and Schedule in PDF Format 
BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. – The defending national champion South Carolina equestrian team heads to the campus of Baylor University in Waco, Texas for the Varsity Equestrian National Championships beginning Thursday. The VENC’s is the equivalent of an NCAA Tournament and will be held April 17-19 at the Heart of Fair Texas Complex where the Gamecocks won the Hunter Seat and overall titles in 2007. South Carolina also won the overall national championship in 2005.
“Last year’s win was very special for us,” head coach Boo Duncan said. “I hope our veterans will be able to calm the nerves of our new ones competing at nationals for the first time. The seniors want to bring home a third national championship overall and go out with a real bang. It would also be phenomenal to bring home an unprecedented fourth Hunter Seat title as well as our first Western title. We are capable of doing all three if everyone performs at their best and we are firing on all cylinders. We’re hoping for the best and know multiple national titles are very attainable for us.”
South Carolina enters the championships with a No. 4 seed in the Hunter Seat and No. 6 seed in Western. With a 9-4 record, the three-time defending national championship Hunter Seat team earned a first round bye and will compete against the winner of No. 5 Auburn/No. 12 Stephen F. Austin at 4 p.m. Thursday. The Western team (8-5) won the reserve national championship last season and competes against No. 11 Stephen F. Austin beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday. The winner will take on No. 3 Oklahoma State beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday.
“Our Western team is much improved over last year,” Duncan said. “Our horsemanship starters all competed at the VENC’s last year so they will be veterans. Our two freshmen reiners have been good all year so I am confident our reiners will do well. On the Hunter Seat side, half of the team competing will be new to the championships. What they lack in experience they should make up in talent. All of the girls traveling have competed extensively this year and I am confident we can hold our own against any team we compete against in both Western and Hunter Seat.”
This season also marks the first year that riders will compete for an individual championship in each discipline. Senior Kristen Terebesi earned an individual bid in equitation over fences and equitation on the flat, becoming the only rider to receive a bid to more than one individual championship round. As the No. 2 seed over fences, Terebesi will compete against Lisa Wells (Florida State) in the first round. She carries a No. 3 seed on the flat and will compete in the first round against Bailey Mahoney (Oklahoma State).
“It is extremely exciting to have Kristen competing in the first VENC individual championships,” Duncan said. “She has earned her spot in both Equitation on the Flat and Equitation over Fences. She is the only individual that will be competing in two events so that is also exciting and a compliment to her consistency. She is very competitive, and I think she will do well for our team and as an individual. Having experienced nationals for the past three years with Kristen, I can think of no one more deserving or more capable of winning both titles.”
Past National Champions
2003: Georgia
2004: Georgia
2005: South Carolina
2006: Auburn
2007: South Carolina
