Nov. 8, 2015
DALLAS, Texas – No. 6 South Carolina dropped its second non-conference meet of the season on Saturday, as the Gamecocks lost 11-9 to Southern Methodist at Sleepy P Ranch. Carolina falls to 2-4 while the Mustangs improve to 2-3.
The Gamecocks swept both hunt seat Most Outstanding Player awards on Saturday, as senior Samantha Kraus (equitation on the flat) and Sydney Smith (equitation over fences) claimed top honors.
South Carolina jumped out to a 3-2 lead after edging the Mustangs in equitation over fences. Smith claimed her first career M.O.P. on Saturday, when the redshirt junior posted an event-high score (88) to beat SMU’s Sylvia de Toledo by two points. Senior Samantha Smith followed with the first of her two points on the day, as she dropped Alex Butterworth by a meet-high 17 points. Freshman Lizzie van der Walde gave Carolina a 3-2 when she knocked off Alexis Graves, 85-76.
SMU erased the Gamecocks’ lead in horsemanship by winning the event, 3-2. After dropping the first three horsemanship points, junior Courtney Allen and senior Abigail Pait posted team-high scores of 74.5 to win their points. Allen edged SMU’s Ashley Mauney by one point while Pait beat Kelsey Karanges by just half a point, to tie the meet at 5-5.
SMU jumped in to the driver’s seat of Saturday’s meet with a 3-2 victory in equitation on the flat. Samantha Smith won her second point of the day with a 12-point victory over Mustang rider Leina King, and senior Samantha Kraus earned an event-high score of 84 to earn the M.O.P. while beating Schaefer Raposa by six points.
In reining, the Mustangs won their third event of the day by a one-point margin, as SMU edged the Gamecocks, 3-2. Freshman Bridgett White won her point over Madison Steed, and senior Sarah Bouchard earned a 70.5-65 victory over Jaclyn White.
South Carolina returns to action on November 20, when the Gamecocks close out the fall portion of their schedule at No. 1 Georgia.
