The Georgia equestrian team has earned the No. 2 seed for the 2016 NCEA National Championship, which will take place April 14-16 in Waco, Texas. The Bulldogs went 10-2 during the regular season including a 4-2 mark in the Southeastern Conference. After a second-place finish at the SEC Championship, the Bulldogs will enter the national championship with an 11-3 overall record and a 5-3 record in the SEC.
After a first place ranking in the preseason poll, Georgia began the 2015-2016 season with a 10-9 win at home over SEC foe Texas A&M. The Bulldogs then picked up three non-conference wins, defeating Delaware State and Fresno State on the road and Oklahoma State at the UGA Equestrian Complex.
The first setback for the Bulldogs came when they dropped an 11-8 decision to the Auburn Tigers. Georgia bounced back to close out the fall schedule with a 13-5 road victory over South Carolina. The Bulldogs concluded fall competition with a 5-1 record, including a 2-1 mark in the SEC.
Georgia opened the spring schedule the same way it did in the fall, with a 10-9 win over Texas A&M, but this time in College Station. The Bulldogs picked up another win on the road defeating South Carolina 13-7.
Georgia returned home to face Auburn only to fall in a 12-8 decision to the Tigers. Georgia again bounced back picking up wins over Kansas State and Fresno State in a double-meet weekend. The Bulldogs concluded their regular season competition with a 12-7 win over New Mexico State on the road.
The Bulldogs entered the SEC Championship as the No. 2 seed. Georgia defeated No. 3 seed Texas A&M 13-7 in the semifinal round of competition as it grabbed four MOP honors by Liza Finsness (Equitation on the Flat), Meg O’Mara (Equitation Over Fences), Heather Schmidt (Horsemanship), and Claudia Spreng (Reining).
In the championship match, Georgia dropped an 11-7 decision to Auburn. Despite the outcome, Meg O’Mara took home MOP and All-Championship honors in Equitation on the Flat. Overall, the Bulldogs went 1-1 on the weekend.
2016 NCEA Championship Seeding
- Auburn
- Georgia
- Baylor
- Oklahoma State
- Texas A&M
- TCU
- South Carolina
- Kansas State
- Delaware State
- SMU
- New Mexico State
- Fresno State
Thursday, April 14 – Round 1 (8:30 a.m. CT)
(5) Texas A&M vs. (12) Fresno State
(6) TCU vs. (11) New Mexico State
(7) South Carolina vs. (10) SMU
(8) Kansas State vs. (9) Delaware State
Friday, April 15 – Quarterfinals (8:30 a.m. CT)
(1) Auburn vs. 8/9 Winner
(2) Georgia vs. 7/10 Winner
(3) Baylor vs. 6/11 Winner
(4) Oklahoma State vs. 5/12 Winner
Saturday, April 16 – Semifinals (8:30 a.m. CT)
Saturday, April 16 – Championship Final (2 p.m. CT)