By: Sarah Madden, Senior Writer

On Oct. 1, 11 members of the Wofford equestrian team traveled to Brooklet, Georgia for their first competition of the season. Hosted by Georgia Southern University at Evermore Farm, this was the first of four competitions the team will attend in October.

“It’s a busy start to the season for us,” says sophomore and co-captain Allison Andrews, “but thankfully most of the shows are nearby this fall.”

Senior Abby Umberger is thankful she doesn’t have to drive her teammates to competitions anymore. “The athletics department has made it possible for us to use their vans for our competitions this year,” she says. “It’s made life so much easier for us.”

The team hopes to become an NCAA division one team in the future, says junior and co-captain Rhiannon Lemaster: “The athletics department, Dean Bigger and President Samhat have been so supportive of us as we grow, and we’re really excited to see where we go from here.”

Over the weekend, the team competed at the University of South Carolina on October 15-16 at their venue in Blythewood, South Carolina. On Sunday, October 23, the team will travel to Clemson University. All are welcome and admission is free. Shows start at 9:00 a.m. and run through the mid-afternoon.

“What’s neat about these three shows is how close they are to Wofford—both locations are close enough that we’ll be bringing horses with us,” says Andrews. “They’ll be wearing Wofford colors… they’ll be easy to spot!”

Head coach Jeanne Smith says she is impressed with the season thus far.

“We had a very strong showing at our first competition… the team is working hard preparing for our next competitions,” she says. “The increased support from the college is helping us grow and make a name for ourselves in a very strong division. I especially want to thank Dean Bigger for heading up these efforts.”

For more information about the team, follow them on social media @WoCoEquestrian on Twitter and Instagram, and Wofford College IHSA Equestrian Team on Facebook.

Results, Oct. 1:

Crawford Anderson ’18: 5^th place over fences and 5^th place on the flat in the open division

Allison Andrews ’19: 1^st place over fences and 5^th place on the flat in the intermediate division

Lizzie Hamrick ’20: 4^th place over fences in the intermediate division

Abby Umberger ’17: 6^th place over fences and 4^th place on the flat in the novice division

Grace Edwards ’18: 2^nd place on the flat in the open division

Mary Bradley Cassada ’19: 6^th place on the flat in the novice division

Sarah Madden ’17: 2^nd place on the flat in the advanced walk, trot, canter division