SC and Georgia Dominate 2014 Equestrian Postseason Awards

SEC press release

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference on Wednesday announced its 2014 postseason equestrian awards, as determined by a vote of the league’s four head coaches.

South Carolina’s Katherine Schmidt was named the SEC’s Equitation Over Fences Rider of the Year and the Equitation On The Flat Co-Rider of the Year, sharing flat honors with Georgia’s Liza Finsness. South Carolina’s Johnna Letchworth was the SEC Horsemanship Rider of the Year, while Georgia’s McKenzie Lantz was the SEC’s Reining Rider of the Year.

South Carolina head coach Boo Major was named the SEC Equestrian Head Coach of the Year, while Auburn’s Jennifer Waxman was the SEC’s Equestrian Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Schmidt earned SEC Equitation Over Fences Rider of the Year accolades after posting a 14-0 record in the event over the course of the season and earning six MOP honors. An NCEA First-Team All-American in 2014, Schmidt is South Carolina’s all-time career wins leader with 72 and has earned 18 hunt seat MOP awards, the most in the history of the program. She was 2-0 in Equitation Over Fences at the SEC Championship this season, earning her a spot on the SEC All-Championship Team for the second straight year. Schmidt is a three-time SEC Rider of the Month in equitation over fences, earning the conference honor in March 2014, October 2013, and March 2013. She also is a three-time NCEA Rider of the Month in equitation over fences, earning the national honor in October 2013, September 2013, and March 2013. In the SEC Championship meet victory over Georgia, her second point of the day earned Schmidt her 72nd career win, moving her past former Gamecock Kimberly McCormack as South Carolina’s all-time wins leader. McCormack was last year’s SEC Equitation Over Fences Rider of the Year.

Schmidt also earned Co-Rider of the Year honors in Equitation On The Flat. She logged an 11-2-1 record on the flat with three MOP awards. Schmidt was named an NCEA First-Team All-American and has just one loss in her last 11 flat rides. Schmidt is currently 6-1-1 on the flat this season against SEC opponents. In just 15 meets this season, Schmidt has gone 2-for-2 11 times. Last season, Schmidt was named NCEA Rider of the Month in equitation on the flat in March 2013, becoming the first Gamecock to win two national rider of the month awards in the same month.

Finsness shared Equitation On The Flat Rider of the Year honors after she was named Equitation Over Fences and Equitation On The Flat Freshman Rider of the Year on Tuesday. Finsness concluded the regular season with a 9-3 record that included five road wins. She went 1-1 at the SEC Championship to bring her season record to 10-4, and her 10 wins this season is the most by any hunt seat rider on the Georgia roster. Finsness, an NCEA First-Team All-American, averaged a score of 79.8 in her 14 rides and defeated her opponents by an average of 3.6 points. She is one of just two riders on her team who competed in every meet on the flat. Finsness posted a season-high score of 89 and logged a 5-1 record against SEC competition with four MOP accolades. She also owns two of the top five scores posted by a Georgia rider in the event this season, including the top score against SEC opponents this year. In addition to her All-American accolades, Finsness was named the NCEA Rider of the Month in November, as well as the SEC Rider of the Month in both October and November.

Letchworth earned her second consecutive Horsemanship Rider of the Year honors, totaling an 11-4 record with eight MOP honors during the season. She posted eight wins in her last nine horsemanship rides of the season, winning MOP awards following both of her horsemanship rides at the SEC Championship. Letchworth has earned MOP honors in five of her last six horsemanship rides and six of her eight MOP honors have come against SEC opponents this season. In all five of her spring meets against SEC opponents, Letchworth earned MOP honors. She has 60 career wins, making her South Carolina’s all-time winningest western rider. Her 25 career MOP awards is a team record, as are her 11 MOP wins this season in horsemanship and reining combined.

Lantz, the SEC’s reigning Reining Rider of the Year, earned the accolades for the second season in a row. Lantz earned Second Team All-America honors after winning 75 percent of her meets during the regular season. Lantz finished the regular season with a 9-3 record and five MOP honors. She went 1-1 at the SEC Championship, with her win coming in the Championship Meet against South Carolina, and earning MOP honors bringing her season record to 10-4. She posted six wins on the road, four wins over SEC teams and her five MOP honors was the most by any Georgia Western rider this year. The Freemont, Mich., native averaged a score of 70.9, the highest average score any Georgia Reiner and defeated her opponents by an average of one point. Lantz own three of the top four scores by a Georgia Reiner this year, including the top score of 75. Prior to earning All-America honors this year, Lantz was named the SEC Reining Rider of the Month in February.

Major, in her 17th season at the University of South Carolina, was voted SEC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Major and the Gamecocks won the 2014 SEC Equestrian Championship, their second in a row, becoming the first team at South Carolina (in any sport) to win back-to-back SEC titles. This year, the Gamecocks have posted their best regular season in team history, going 11-2 overall and 4-2 in conference action. South Carolina also set a program record with 13 dual meet victories. The Gamecocks have won nine or more points in all 15 of their meets this season and in 21 of their last 22 meets dating back to last year. The Gamecocks have been ranked No. 1 in the NCEA Rankings since Dec. 2, 2013, a stretch of 19 consecutive weeks, also a record at South Carolina.

Waxman, a 2013 Rhodes Scholarship Nominee and a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Rolls, earned SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. She is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, the Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society, Chi Alpha Sigma and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She is a Dean’s List student at Auburn and a three-time member of the NCEA Academic Teams. Athletically, she is a member of the NCEA All-America teams and is Auburn University’s all-time career wins leader in Equitation Over Fences. This season, she helped lead the fences squad to an 11-4 record, scoring an 88 twice, which is tied for Auburn’s highest fences score this season. She has scored an 80 or better nine times this year and, during the regular season, had a 4.4-point average margin of victory.

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2014 SEC Postseason Equestrian Awards

SEC Coach of the Year: Boo Major, South Carolina

SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Jennifer Waxman, Auburn

SEC Equitation Over Fences Rider of the Year: Katherine Schmidt, South Carolina

SEC Equitation On The Flat Co-Rider of the Year: Liza Finsness, Georgia

SEC Equitation On The Flat Co-Rider of the Year: Katherine Schmidt, South Carolina

SEC Horsemanship Rider of the Year: Johnna Letchworth, South Carolina

SEC Reining Rider of the Year: McKenzie Lantz, Georgia