The 2015-2016 season was not everything the defending champion South Carolina equestrian team could have hoped for. The season ended with an underwhelming 5-11 record and an early first round exit in the NCEA Tournament to the higher-seeded SMU Mustangs.
Yet the struggles of last season shouldn’t hinder any optimism for the coming one. Hope is high that this season will be a good one for the Gamecocks behind the lead of sophomores Lizzie van der Walde and Madison Thiel. Both were bright spots for the team last year by winning their events in the eventual loss to SMU and both being named to the SEC All-Freshman team in their respective events.
One adjustment that will have to be made next year is who will step into the leadership role left open by departing senior Abigail Pait. She was selected to the All-SEC team last season. She won four Most Outstanding Performer Awards on her way to an 11-4-1 record and always provided the Gamecocks with a fighting chance in each of their matches.
Big news came this offseason with the signing of Madelynne Herlocker for the upcoming season. She will instantly provide depth and experience to the team, as she helped represent the U.S. in the Youth World Cup this past summer. Coach Boo Major will be looking to her to step up for the team and help fill the hole left by Pait.
It will not be easy for South Carolina as they look to rebound this season. Four of their first seven regular-season matches feature either Georgia, Texas A&M or Auburn, all of which are teams that made it to the semifinals of last year’s NCEA Championship tournament. Three matches in particular to look forward to — when the Gamecocks take on the defending champions, the Auburn Tigers, on Nov. 18 and Feb. 25, as well as when they seek revenge for last year’s tournament loss on March 4 against the SMU Mustangs.
The hope is that this South Carolina team can once again regain the glory of two years ago and bring back the championship trophy to Columbia. Behind the lead of Thiel, van der Walde and hopefully strong contributions by Herlocker, this team has all the pieces to make that hope a reality.