DAVIS, Calif. — Bound for the NCEA National Championship for the first time in program history, the UC Davis Equestrian has built its foundation on camaraderie, work ethic and a shared love of riding horses.  
 
Those values have helped shape and support the team's six-year rise that has seen them go back-to-back as conference champions and lock up a top-eight national finish this season. And on April 18, the Aggies square off against top-seeded TCU in the NCEA quarterfinal round of the national championships.
 
A chance to put that foundation to the test.
 
"Our meets have felt like they are leading up to something bigger," said junior Marin Gilliland. "The national championship is like the Super Bowl, it's our Super Bowl."

"My teammates and I are super excited just to be going," said redshirt senior Amber Ide. "I've been on this team since 2019 and seeing how this team has grown has been special and to go to nationals is the icing on the cake for this squad."
 
The team is eager to prove they belong with the nation's best and welcome the pressure inherent in a national championship environment.
 
"It's really exciting that the only way we can go is up," Gilliland said. "We could be the underdogs, but we keep showing up and showing out that we belong in the top eight."
 
Other Aggies echoed that sentiment. "The atmosphere there is going to be tense because every team wants to go in and win, but we know we can do it," junior Kayla Wolfe said.
 
Over the past two weeks, the Aggies have been busy at the UC Davis Equestrian Center, working almost daily to be prepared for the biggest meet of their collegiate careers. "We've just focused on our patterns and riding in the same size arenas that we will be competing in," said junior Maddie Gregory.

"We've also been gathering information from other schools about the horses that we will be riding since they will be provided to us by the other schools at nationals."
 
The NCEA puts together a collection of horses from several of the competing schools to ensure a neutral environment for all teams. "We know we'll get to ride some really nice horses," said senior Tasia Anstead. "It will be fun to ride the caliber of horse that will be there."
 
Riding horses other than their own is nothing new for the Aggies, who ride unfamiliar horses at road meets throughout the season. And that could be an issue if not for the Aggies' love and dedication to horses, even ones that may not be their own.
 
"We all come from the same foundation, that we are doing this to ride horses. We all still have that little girl in us that wanted to ride a pony," said freshman Lauren Kolbe. "We are here because we love to ride."
 
Those relationships with teammates and horses alike take work to build, fortunately for the Aggies one of the reasons they are heading to the biggest stage in program history is because of a top work ethic.

"Our work ethic has been unbelievable and the number of girls that come out extra hours, even when they don't need to has been great and a big reason why we have been successful," said Gilliland.
 
The Aggies have no doubt the work they are doing now will pay dividends when Thursday rolls around. 

"We're continuing to build confidence knowing that we are set up to go against the number one school," said Wolfe. "But we've been building our confidence so that we can trust our rides and abilities when it is time to go out and compete."
 
The Aggies, who enter Thursday's meet following a 14-6 win over Delaware State in the ECAC semifinal and a 13-7 win over UT Martin in the ECAC Championship, will face No. 1 TCU at 5:30 a.m. PT in Ocala, Fla.
 
"We will be surrounded by a lot of talented teams, but I also think our team will do what it typically does and that's come together," said freshman Mylea Trimble. "We build each other up and then take on the challenge in front of us as one."
 
The Horned Frogs make up a collection of talented teams that will test UC Davis, good thing the Aggies are a unit that is ready for a challenge.