March 8, 2012
FORT WORTH, Texas- The No. 10 ranked TCU equestrian program will close its home schedule Friday with a match-up against No. 1 Georgia. Start time is set for 2:00 p.m. CT from October Hill Farm.
"I'm very excited to host Georgia this weekend," said head Hunt Seat coach Logan Fiorentino. "The Hunt Seat team has come a long way since we last faced them in October and I am looking forward to us taking another big step forward. UGA is a great team, but so are we and I believe in what this team can accomplish."
The Frogs, who are 3-0 at home this year and winners of two out of their last three, will be going for their fifth-straight victory at October Hill Farms Friday. In all, the Purple and White haven't lost at home since falling to Georgia last March. The contest against the Lady Bulldogs will also mark senior day for Courtney Chown, Taylor Frederick, Lyndsi Hardin, Victoria Lee and Chelsey Sample. The Frogs will also honor junior Kirstie Frydenlundon Friday.
Follow The Horned Frogs
A full recap and final results will be available following Friday's competition on GoFrogs.com.
Last Time Out
On Friday, the Frogs will honor five seniors who have been a part of postseason play every year they have been at TCU, including the program’s highest ever finish of fourth-place at nationals in 2010. These five seniors have recorded victories over nationally ranked programs such as Texas A&M, Baylor, Georgia, South Carolina and several others during their time in Fort Worth. They will leave campus ranked in the top-5 of all-time winningest classes in school history.
The senior class includes Courntey Chown, Lindsay Hardin, Chelsea Sample, Victoria Lee and Taylor Frederick.
Breaking Down The All-Time Series
TCU and Georgia will battle this Friday for the eighth time in program history. UGA currently leads the series at 4-3 after defeating the Frogs earlier this year. The Purple and White have won three out of the last six outings, while three meets in the all-time series have come down to a tiebreaker.
Earlier This Year
Junior Lexie Estradacontinued her winning ways garnering MVP accolades in Horsemanship, but then No. 9 TCU dropped a 16-4 decision earlier this season to Georgia at the UGA Equestrian Complex. Overall, the Horned Frogs shined in Western as the Lady Bulldogs narrowly defeated the Purple and White in both Horsemanship and Reining, 3-2, respectively. The Frogs could not figure out Georgia in Hunt Seat during the first meeting, but fought hard, dropping several close calls to the Lady Bulldogs.
Scouting Georgia
Georgia comes into this weekend with a 10-1 overall record after defeating Fresno State in its last outing, 17-1. The Lady Bulldogs, who have won 10-straight meets, are ranked No. 1 in the national rankings and will face SMU also on Friday.
Individually, Georgia's Hunt Seat team is led by junior Carly Anthony, who has claimed 17 victories between Equitation on the Flat and Equitation over Fences, respectively. On the Western side, Megan Hawkins, the National Collegiate Equestrian Association February Rider of the Month, leads the Horsemanship squad with a 10-1 record and four MVP accolades.
Scouting TCU
TCU comes into Friday's showdown looking for its fifth win of the season, but also its fourth-straight victory at home this year. The Horned Frogs are currently 4-9 on the season and ranked No. 10 in the current national rankings.
In its last outing, No. 10 TCU captured three MVP accolades last Saturday en route to a 15-3 victory over South Dakota State at October Hill Farm. The nationally ranked Horned Frogs, who also defeated the Jackrabbits in overall points by a total of 1,353-1,307, blanketed SDSU in both Equitation on the Flat and Horsemanship.
The Frogs have had several individuals post impressive victories during the 2011-12 campaign.
On the Western side, TCU is currently 4-8 overall as Alexie Estrada has a season record of 8-3-1 with two MVP accolades, while Taylor Prince is 8-4-0 in Horsemanship. In Reining, Samantha Bayeris coming off an MVP performance against South Dakota State has garnered four wins and three MVP honors on the year.
Several student-athletes have excelled on the Hunt Seat side as the Frogs are 5-5-2 heading into this Friday's competitions. Haley Jacobi has carried the Purple and White in Equitation over Fences with a 7-5-0 record, while Kaitlin Perryhas shined recently as she has brought her season record to 9-3-0 with one MVP accolade in Equitation on the Flat.
The National Rankings
The TCU women's equestrian program received word last week that it has been ranked No. 10 in the latest Women's Intercollegiate Equestrian National Coaches Poll.
Overall, the Horned Frogs totaled 10 points. This Friday's opponent Georgia is ranked No. 1 with 77 points, while both Auburn and Texas A&M sit just behind at No. 2 and No. 3 with 68 and 62 points, respectively.
The coaches poll is released bi-monthly with the next announcement scheduled for March 14, 2012.
Up Next
TCU will compete at the Pin Oak Invitational in Houston on March 25.
