DAVIS, Calif. - The UC Davis Equestrian team began the season with a bang on Thursday outscoring nationally-ranked South Carolina 11-6 to start the season with a win.
Coming in at No. 9 in the most recent National Collegiate Equestrian Association rankings, South Carolina were outscored 4-0 in Horsemanship and 2-1 in Reining as the Aggies rode to a dominant 6-1 margin in the Western events.
UC Davis narrowly lost out on an event win to start the day in Fences with two Aggie defeats in the event coming by two points or fewer but only ceding one point overall as South Carolina took the event, 3-2. The Aggies came back later in the afternoon to take Flat, 3-2, and secure one of the most significant meet wins in program history.
There were high scores across the board as the Aggies snagged three MOPs on the day. Keely Laughlin's 81 gave her five career Fences scores over 80 and stands as her second career Fences MOP. Natasha Replogle earned her first career MOP for her 75 in Horsemanship, the high score in an event the Aggies dominated from start to finish. Lauren Langbaum put the finishing touches on the win with her Reining MOP, the first of her career in a career-high 73.5.
The Aggies (1-0) won't have to wait long to saddle up again as No. 6 TCU comes to Davis on Sunday. That meet is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.
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Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country.
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