USC Aiken Equestrian Team Takes Top Spot at Clemson

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AIKEN, SC (10/28/2018) The University of South Carolina Aiken's Intercollegiate Hunt Seat Association Team continues to outperform competitors across the region.

In the Clemson IHSA Show earlier this month, held at the Clemson Equine Center in Clemson, S.C., the Aiken team placed first - out of 11 teams - during the first day of the event. They came in second the following day.

"I am honestly not surprised that we have been collecting big wins for the season," said Brooklin Kuipers, the president of the USC Aiken team.

"The nine women on our team have been working very hard at home, and it is beginning to pay off."

She says the group has "a competitive season" ahead. Kuipers believes they are up for the challenge.

"Currently we are in running for top spot in the region with the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, and Georgia Southern University, but we are confident that we can advance to zone finals at the end of this season."

Members of the team who participated in the Clemson event were:

Anne Bond of Summerville, S.C.

Alexis Rhorer of Lexington, S.C.

Petra Van Houtte of Aiken, S.C.

Brooklin Kuipers of Aiken, S.C.

Abigail Hulsey of Aiken, S.C.

Cheyanne Gray of Beaufort, S.C.

Sophia Roden of Matthews, N.C.

"I am so proud of all of my teammates for having such positive attitudes throughout the weekend, especially [at times] when things were not going exactly as planned. We fed off of each other's attitudes, and that positively affected how we performed," Kuipers said.