South Carolina equestrian takes home fourth national championship in program history

For the second time in the 2025-26 South Carolina athletics calendar, the Gamecocks watched their large halftime deficit over the Texas A&M Aggies dwindle. After leading 7-3 at the halftime break, South Carolina slowly saw its lead fall to a 10-10 tie.

However, equestrian isn’t football. In equestrian, there is no overtime. There are tiebreakers. In the end, it was a tiebreaker that awarded South Carolina the 2026 NCEA National Championship

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After the tie following the conclusion of the final event, a tiebreaker awarded South Carolina Equestrian its fourth national championship in program history. The Gamecocks earned the tiebreaker through raw score, winning 1696.08 to 1473.

The NCEA is the governing body for NCAA Equestrian programs and has hosted national championships since 2002. Saturday afternoon’s victory marked the Gamecocks’ first title since 2015 and first under head coach Carol Gwin, who joined the program in 2024.

For many members of the program, the trophy caps off already tremendous seasons. The Gamecocks had an NCEA-best five First Team All-Americans alongside the NCEA Rider of the Year in Alexis Potts. At the conclusion of the regular season, South Carolina ranked No. 2 nationally.

Potts also took home NCEA Championship Most Outstanding Player honors for Flats. She is joined by fellow Gamecocks Emily Patton (Riding) and Natalie Jane (Flats), alongside the Aggies Kate Egan (Fences), in Most Outstanding Player honors.

The Gamecocks entered the 2026 NCEA Tournament as the No. 4 seed, opening the tournament against fifth-seeded SMU. South Carolina got off to a hot 4-1 start in the opening event against the Mustangs, allowing the Gamecocks to coast into the halftime break up 6-3.

Their strong opening half performances continued into their upset victory over top-seeded Auburn, taking a 6-4 lead at the break before ultimately winning 11-8.

South Carolina entered the season finale no stranger to beating Texas A&M in big moments. During the 2025 season, the Gamecocks defeated the Aggies in the SEC Championship.

Once again, the Gamecocks jumped out to a hot start, taking a 7-3 lead into the halftime break, including a 4-1 opening round lead that included a zero from the Aggies. However, a 3-2 loss in Flat set up a tense final round. South Carolina’s struggles continued into fences, as the Gamecocks dropped four of five matchups.

However, all it took was one. Thanks to the Aggies’ earlier zero, a 10-10 tie could all but seal the title for South Carolina. In the end, it was Amira Kettaneh’s 84.7 ride that sealed the national championship for the Gamecocks.

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