2014 SEC Championship Recap: “One of the Greatest Acts of Sportsmanship…”

By: Chelsea Zillner

The 2014 SEC Championship in one word: unpredictable. From the weather to the competition it was impossible to guess what would happen next. True to form, championship day of the SEC tournament was gray and gloomy. The radar showed heavy thunderstorms heading toward Blythewood so the championship match between South Carolina and Georgia was moved to the morning and the consolation match between Auburn and Texas A&M would follow, if weather allowed.

The rain came early. Not only did it rain; it poured. Luckily, it tapered off midway through the horsemanship and over fences competition. Both teams came ready to compete. When one team seemed to start creating a gap or post a big score, the other would strike back. At the end of the first half, once again, the score was tied at five a piece. The best part was the sun was trying to peek out from behind the clouds.

The reining and flat portion of the meet began and any room for mistakes was miniscule. Both South Carolina and Georgia rode at high levels. It felt like more than an SEC Championship was on the line. Points went back and forth, but the cheering never let up. Still tied with just six points undecided, South Carolina picked up two points on the flat, taking a 9-7 lead. All-American Katherine Schmidt finished her outstanding weekend with a 156-139 win over Georgia’s Caitlyn Francis. In the reining arena, Sarah Bouchard gave the Gamecocks a 9-7 lead when she defeated Georgia’s Claudia Spreng, 137.5-134.5. Bouchard’s score was unofficially announced as a 134.5, meaning she would have tied Spreng, but the announced score was incorrect. Once it was determined that Bouchard had earned a score of 137.5, she was awarded the point. The Bulldogs battled back to tie it up at 10. This Championship meet had exceeded anyone’s expectations. Waiting for the official scores felt like an eternity.

After the scores were calculated and recalculated, it was determined the South Carolina Gamecocks had won back-to-back-to-back SEC Championships. It was an incredible feat for those who understand the competiveness and quality of the SEC.

The Auburn Tigers defeated the Texas A&M Aggies 10-8 in the consolation match, just barely dodging the rain. All four teams gathered in the arena. It was at that time when I witnessed one of the greatest acts of sportsmanship during my time as a student athlete. When the scores were incorrectly calculated, it showed that the Georgia Bulldogs had won the Championship. After a beautiful celebration, the scores were recalculated and revealed that South Carolina had just barely edged out the Bulldogs. During the Championship ceremony, a handful of Georgia competitors handed South Carolina their SEC Championship winner t-shirts. It was an incredible gesture that the Georgia family should be proud of.

Congratulations to the SEC All- Championship team:

Equitation Over Fences: Katherine Schmidt, South Carolina

Equitation On The Flat: Meg O’Mara, Georgia

Horsemanship: Laura Brainard, Texas A&M

Reining: Katsy Leeman, Auburn

The SEC Champion South Carolina will enter NCEA Nationals as the No. 1 seed. Georgia will come in as the No. 2 seed. Auburn finished the season as the No. 4 seed, and Texas A&M will enter as the No. 12 seed in Waco, Texas. Something tells me that the SEC isn’t done quite yet….