By Molly Atchison | Print Managing Editor

The National Collegiate Equestrian Association Championship kicked off Wednesday at the Extraco Event Center in Waco, and Baylor set a consistent pace in the individual portion of the two-day competition. Both of the western teams are sending members to the quarterfinals on Friday. Baylor will not send any individual riders on in the flat and fencing events. The team now turns to focus to team events Thursday in hopes of following up their individual successes.

With 16 schools attending the event, the Extraco Event center was filled with students and parents as the individuals made the most of their riding time. Baylor came away with a 2-1 win in the morning against UT Martin in reining. Junior western Abbi Demel and sophomore western Georgia Smith both scored points in the round, senior western Charlotte Green won the round in a draw.

However, the hunt seat competitors fell in the morning fences competition, losing 2-2 to South Carolina. When there is a draw, the judges look at raw scores from each competitor, and Baylor’s highest score of 630 was not enough to beat South Carolina’s 637. Senior Abby Jorgensen and sophomore Madison Day both brought points to the table, but it just wasn’t enough to compete with the South Carolina.

The competition heated up in the afternoon, with the horsemanship team pulling ahead to take a 3-1 win over South Carolina. Demel, Green and junior hunt seat Kennedy Mellott all won points to sweep South Carolina under the rug. Although the wins for the western team were significant, the flats team lost their afternoon show 2-1 to SMU, although freshman hunt seat Rachel Davis and senior hunt seat Rachel Van Allen both brought points to the table.

Tune into the the Baylor Equestrian homepage to keep up with the scores and the event times.