Only 12 teams remain, and K-State is one of them. The Wildcats will kick off their road for a national championship today in Waco, Texas as they take on Texas A&M; in the first round of the National Collegiate Equestrian Association National Championship.
“It is obviously a really big weekend and really big competition,” head coach Casie Maxwell said to K-State sports. “We are going to have to go up against some tough opponents in the first few rounds if we want to make it on to Saturday. We are just hoping that everyone is on their ‘A’ game all on the same day so that we can move forward.”
The Wildcats haven’t competed since the end of March at the Big 12 Championships where they took third place after defeating TCU.
Senior Kelly Bovaird will lead the Western team. Bovaird was recently named the Big 12 and NCEA Rider of the Month in Horsemanship. Another senior, Jordan Cox, will lead the Reining team.
Rounding off the key riders are senior Rachel Webster and junior Madison Wayda. The two will lead the way for the Wildcats in the Hunter Seat. Both enter the championships with 16 wins. Webster has at least one win in each of her last two trips to the NCEA National Championships.
The Wildcats hold the No. 5 overall seed of the 12 teams. If they advance past the Aggies on today, they will meet No. 4 Auburn next.