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 17-19 in Waco, Texas at the Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex. Wes Allison, President and CEO of the Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex, will be serving as the Facility Manager with Robert T. Murphy of Lexington, KY as the Show Manager and Patrick Duncan of Wellington, FL will serve as the Assistant Show Manager.

The competition will follow a bracket style format. 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 Christian University, and the top seed on the hunter seat side is Oklahoma State University. 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 Saturday, April 19. There will be three national team champions crowned: Overall Team Champions, Hunter Seat Team Champions and Western Team Champions. New for 2008 is the addition of individual competition where riders will display their skills for a chance to be crowned the Champion Hunter Seat Individual and Champion Western Individual.

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.

ENDS