Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Travel To National Championships
April 13, 2011 | Cowgirl Equestrian
April 13, 2011
STILLWATER, Okla. - The Oklahoma State equestrian team is set to travel to the Varsity Equestrian National Championships at the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas, April 14-16.
About The VENC
The Varsity Equestrian Championship is held each year among colleges and universities competing at the intercollegiate varsity level. Because equestrian has two unique disciplines, this event crowns a national champion in each of three areas; Western, English and Overall. The top 12 teams compete for the top spot in each discipline.
About The Pokes
The Cowgirls are 7-5 on the season and coming off a second-place finish at the Big 12 Championship. OSU beat the Baylor Bears before falling to the host Texas A&M Aggies in the final of the four-team tournament.
Cowgirls In The Rankings
Oklahoma State remains in the fourth spot in the women's Intercollegiate National Coaches Poll. The Pokes debuted the season in the No. 3 spot. They received 50 points in the initial poll, 23 points behind then top-ranked Georgia.
All-Americans
This season marks the first time the VENC has named All-Americans for equestrian. The top eight individuals in each discipline were honored as first-team All-Americans, while the next eight were awarded honorable mentions. The Pokes garnered two All-Americans and two more honorable mentions. Lauren Halvorson and Caroline Daniels earned All-American status in horsemanship and reining respectively, and Ali Rose and Rachel Houchin were honorable mention in equitation on the flat and reining.
Western At VENC
The Oklahoma State Western team earned the No. 2 seed in the 12-team bracket. The Cowgirls will take on the winner of No. 7 seed Kansas State and No. 10 seed UT-Martin on Friday. OSU is looking to win its fifth Western team national championship and its first since 2006.
English At VENC
The Cowgirls enter the week as the fourth seed in the English bracket. They will face the winner of (5) Texas A&M vs. (12) New Mexico State matchup in the second round of the tournament on Thursday.
Follow The Pokes
Keep up with the latest updates, news and round-by-round results from the Varsity Equestrian National Championships at http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/w-equest/11-natl-champ.html. You can also track the Cowgirls on Twitter by following them at www.twitter.com/OSUEquestrian. The Varsity Equestrian website can be found at http://varsityequestrian.com/.
