Lexington, KY –The Varsity Equestrian National Championships (VENC) announced the collegiate teams that have been selected and seeded for this year’s competition, in conjunction with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA).
A total of twelve schools were chosen for both the hunter seat and western divisions to compete at the national championships. The selected teams will compete April 18-20 in Waco, Texas, at the Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex. The teams will compete in a bracket-style format, which was created for the first time last year after being accepted by the Varsity Equestrian Steering Committee.
The VENC selection committee selects and seeds the teams based on current competition year statistics. The No. 1 seed in the western division is Texas A&M University, and the top seed on the hunter seat side is the University of South Carolina. Visit www.varsityequestrian.com to see the complete brackets.
Following the bracket format, schools will compete in head-to-head competition using the same set of horses. Similar to most NCAA sporting events, the winning team will advance through the winner’s bracket until the national champions are determined Friday, April 20. The winners get a trophy for winning the tournament and there will also be trophies awarded to the best western team and best hunter seat team.
“The Varsity Equestrian program is increasing the involvement of young people with horses.” said USEF Chief Executive Officer John Long. “With the introduction of the bracket-style competition, the Varsity Equestrian program is poised for continued growth and the USEF is pleased to be a part of this effort.”
In 1998, NCAA Division I and II adopted legislation to identify equestrian as an emerging sport for women. Since then, the sport has gained in popularity among colleges and universities across the United States. The USEF and the AQHA have teamed to promote the competition and educate the industry about this growing sport.
For more information on Varsity Equestrian and complete coverage from this year’s competition, visit www.varsityequestrian.com.
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~~~For more information, please contact Stacey Meier, Director of National Marketing, at (859) 225-6974, or via e-mail at [email protected].