Equestrian Selected To Varsity National Championships April 18-20 In Waco
March 26, 2007
Complete Tournament Bracket in PDF Format
DALLAS (SMU) - The SMU Equestrian team was selected as one of 12 teams to participate in the Hunter Seat division of the Varsity National Championships from April 18-20 in Waco, Texas. This is the fourth consecutive invitation for the Mustangs in just the program's fourth season. The event is hosted by Baylor at Waco's Heart of Texas Fair and Rodeo Complex in the Dodge Show Pavilion. The Mustangs are the No. 12 seed in the tournament and will face the No. 5 seed Texas A&M Aggies in the first round. The winner will face No. 4 seed Auburn in the quarterfinal round. Four riders will compete for the Mustangs in their quest for the national title. "We are ready to demonstrate the talent on this team," said SMU head coach Jenny Passow. "These riders have bested professional-level hurdles during the season. This is their achievement, and I could not be happier for them." Waco is the closest location for the championships in SMU's four years of participation. It was New Mexico the last two years and in Georgia in 2004. "We are really hoping that there will be a significant SMU presence in the stands since Dallas is so close," states Passow. "We want to make some noise in that arena." The first-round matchup is a repeat from last year. The Mustangs were the No. 11 seed a year ago and fell 803-779 in the first round to the sixth-seeded Aggies. In 2004 and 2005, the Mustangs finished 11th in scoring before the championships were changed to a tournament format in 2006. The hunt seat participants include, in seeded order, (1) South Carolina, (2) Oklahoma State, (3) Georgia, (4) Auburn, (5) Texas A&M, (6) Baylor, (7) Kansas State, (8) Fresno State, (9) University Tennessee - Martin, (10) New Mexico State, (11) Stephen F. Austin and (12) SMU. Championship brackets and schedules of events are available at www.varsityequestrian.com.
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