Sept. 21, 2006
WACO, Texas - Baylor's equestrian team opens its fall season on the road Friday, Sept. 22 against defending English national champions South Carolina and then Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23-24 at Georgia's Big Four tournament, the Bulldog Invitational. Both shows will include English and Western events.
Baylor is taking a combined 15 riders from both disciplines. The English riders include veterans Nicole Brown, Susie Foster, Shelby White, and Cara Wilson. English riders making their collegiate debut are Beth Banister, Analisa Muti, Mary Smitson, and April Wehle.
The Western team travels with two letterwinners, Ashleigh Brown, Nicole McCoy, and Madelyn Mooney, while the rest are freshman, Amanda Graber, Allison Orosz, Valtie Riddle, and Lindsey Tomko.
The head-to-head show against South Carolina will take place at One Wood Farm in Columbia, S.C. and scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. In last year's meeting between the two schools, South Carolina earned the most points in both English and Western disciplines to outscore Baylor 1274-1244.5.
The Big Four tournament will be hosted at Georgia's Animal Science Arena in Athens, Ga. The double-elimination tournament features Baylor, Kansas State, Georgia and a team comprised of members from the mentioned schools. The two-day event is scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. Saturday and 7:50 a.m. Sunday with action concluding at 6:00 p.m. on both days.
Georgia held a similar tournament last fall but mainly showcased English events, with minor exhibition rides for Western. Baylor lost to South Carolina 414-362 in the first round and was narrowly defeated by Fresno State 365-338 in the consolation round.
Results for Baylor's shows will be available at www.baylorbears.com. Full results from Georgia's Bulldog Invitational will be posted at www.georgiadogs.com.
