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A different type of excitement hangs over the South Dakota State University equestrian team as it gears up for its second season of competition.
We just have a whole new dimension of riders, said head coach Megan McGee, who will welcome 39 riders, including 19 returning letterwinners, when classes start in late August.
I definitely threw them into the deep end last season, but they handled it all very well, McGee said. Theyll be good leaders in terms of showing this new group how we get things done in competition.
Because equestrian is still considered an emerging sport within the NCAA, the Jackrabbits have the ability to be flexible in their scheduling by competing in both Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) and Varsity Equestrian competitions.
It is a little bit of a luxury to have the riders compete in both types of competition, McGee said, noting that the Jackrabbits could send riders to postseason events at both levels.
Among the chief advantages of competing in the IHSA format is that riders accumulate points which can be carried over from one season to the next. McGee anticipates several of the teams riders will have the ability to accumulate enough points early in the season to qualify for regional competition before moving up to a higher level of competition for the remainder of the regular season. Once regional and national competition rolls around, the riders compete at the level in which they qualified.
In Varsity Equestrian competition, the English and Western team scores are combined to determine a winner. Meanwhile, most IHSA competitions are English-only or Western-only.
Our strength in Western is very evident, said McGee, who is assisted in the Western horsemanship and reining events by Joe Humphrey. Our riders had very strong performances and won against some of the top riders in their first year of competition. I know theyll be ready to face this new competition right from the beginning of our season.
The Western contingent is led by a group of 13 returning letterwinners, many of whom racked up points in IHSA competition and are in line to qualify for the IHSA Regional Finals SDSU will host March 24 at the Swiftel Center.
Among the leading candidates for qualifying are juniors Katie Hendrickson, Nikki Jensen, Kelsey Likness and Anna Taylor, along with sophomores Jordanne Blair, Abby Knobbe, Molly Seidel and Carolyn Wehde. A Watertown native, Likness turned in one of the top performances by a Jackrabbit rider last season by placing fourth in the Western reining competition at the Big Eight Tournament hosted last October by Georgia.
We really do have a tremendous amount of depth in the Western group, McGee said, adding that the Western team will be further bolstered by the additions of newcomers Lacey Vernon, Ashlie Centa and Courtney Smith.
In an effort to make the squad more balanced, McGee said an emphasis was placed on bringing in more English riders.
I think thats going to help us a lot in being more prepared to go up against some of the more competitive schools, McGee said.
A talented group of newcomers is led by Erin Broussard, Sara Stirton and Dacota Huzzen.
The group of six returning English letterwinners is led by sophomore Allison Carie and junior Kaylee DeVries. Carie consistently led the Jackrabbits in both the equitation on the flat and equitation over fences events during her freshman season, while DeVries also put herself in a position to qualify for future postseason events with a strong 2005-06 season.
Also returning for English competition are sophomores Sara Curran, Lindsay Harr, Laura Hoff and Katie Morris.
SDSUs preliminary schedule also includes a home dual with Varsity Equestrian newcomer Delaware State on Nov. 11.
The Jackrabbits open the season Sept. 23-24 as the Western squad competes at Wisconsin-River Falls. The English team will see its first competition of the campaign with an Oct. 14-15 meet at Carleton (Minn.).
A different type of excitement hangs over the South Dakota State University equestrian team as it gears up for its second season of competition.
We just have a whole new dimension of riders, said head coach Megan McGee, who will welcome 39 riders, including 19 returning letterwinners, when classes start in late August.
I definitely threw them into the deep end last season, but they handled it all very well, McGee said. Theyll be good leaders in terms of showing this new group how we get things done in competition.
Because equestrian is still considered an emerging sport within the NCAA, the Jackrabbits have the ability to be flexible in their scheduling by competing in both Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) and Varsity Equestrian competitions.
It is a little bit of a luxury to have the riders compete in both types of competition, McGee said, noting that the Jackrabbits could send riders to postseason events at both levels.
Among the chief advantages of competing in the IHSA format is that riders accumulate points which can be carried over from one season to the next. McGee anticipates several of the teams riders will have the ability to accumulate enough points early in the season to qualify for regional competition before moving up to a higher level of competition for the remainder of the regular season. Once regional and national competition rolls around, the riders compete at the level in which they qualified.
In Varsity Equestrian competition, the English and Western team scores are combined to determine a winner. Meanwhile, most IHSA competitions are English-only or Western-only.
Our strength in Western is very evident, said McGee, who is assisted in the Western horsemanship and reining events by Joe Humphrey. Our riders had very strong performances and won against some of the top riders in their first year of competition. I know theyll be ready to face this new competition right from the beginning of our season.
The Western contingent is led by a group of 13 returning letterwinners, many of whom racked up points in IHSA competition and are in line to qualify for the IHSA Regional Finals SDSU will host March 24 at the Swiftel Center.
Among the leading candidates for qualifying are juniors Katie Hendrickson, Nikki Jensen, Kelsey Likness and Anna Taylor, along with sophomores Jordanne Blair, Abby Knobbe, Molly Seidel and Carolyn Wehde. A Watertown native, Likness turned in one of the top performances by a Jackrabbit rider last season by placing fourth in the Western reining competition at the Big Eight Tournament hosted last October by Georgia.
We really do have a tremendous amount of depth in the Western group, McGee said, adding that the Western team will be further bolstered by the additions of newcomers Lacey Vernon, Ashlie Centa and Courtney Smith.
In an effort to make the squad more balanced, McGee said an emphasis was placed on bringing in more English riders.
I think thats going to help us a lot in being more prepared to go up against some of the more competitive schools, McGee said.
A talented group of newcomers is led by Erin Broussard, Sara Stirton and Dacota Huzzen.
The group of six returning English letterwinners is led by sophomore Allison Carie and junior Kaylee DeVries. Carie consistently led the Jackrabbits in both the equitation on the flat and equitation over fences events during her freshman season, while DeVries also put herself in a position to qualify for future postseason events with a strong 2005-06 season.
Also returning for English competition are sophomores Sara Curran, Lindsay Harr, Laura Hoff and Katie Morris.
SDSUs preliminary schedule also includes a home dual with Varsity Equestrian newcomer Delaware State on Nov. 11.
The Jackrabbits open the season Sept. 23-24 as the Western squad competes at Wisconsin-River Falls. The English team will see its first competition of the campaign with an Oct. 14-15 meet at Carleton (Minn.).