University of Georgia Athletics
Equestrian Holds Off South Carolina, 1246-1231
February 26, 2006 | Equestrian
The Bulldogs entered the meet's final event with a 19-point lead that kept South Carolina out of reach despite the Gamecock's 272.5-268.5 reining victory to close the day. Senior Sarah Meier and freshman Kate Stewart both posted wins for Georgia in the event. "This is a tough team that we were competing against," Georgia head coach Meghan Boenig said. "The scores don't reflect everything and I think our girls did a fantastic job of riding and pulling off a horseshow in the rain. I was very pleased with all our rides and I think we showed a lot of consistency."
Inclement weather forced all four events of the competition under the covered arena from the outset. The Bulldogs weren't phased, however, and broke out of the starting gates with a 343-335 victory in the first event of the afternoon, equitation over fences. Senior Byerly Vaughn posted both the highest score and the highest margin of victory in the event, defeating South Carolina junior Kelley Campbell 89-83 riding Tupelo.
Georgia's Western riders also gained an early advantage with a 308.5-294.5 win in horsemanship. Senior Kari Ellingson marked the highest margin of victory as she bested South Carolina junior Rachel Sternoff 78.5-69.5 on Artie. Senior Carly Veldman earned the highest score on the event and nearly equaled Ellingson's margin of victory with an 80.5-72 win over South Carolina sophomore Katy Biffle on Miss Annie.
