Boo Major
BLYTHEWOOD – South Carolina head coach Boo Major of Blythewood has been named SEC Equestrian Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Major’s selection was determined by a vote of the league’s four head coaches. Major, in her 17th season at the University of South Carolina, led the Gamecocks to the 2014 SEC Equestrian Championship, their second in a row, becoming the first team at South Carolina (in any sport) to win back-to-back SEC titles. This year, the Gamecocks have posted their best regular season in team history, going 11-2 overall and 4-2 in conference action.
“I’m certainly honored to receive this award from an outstanding group of SEC coaches, but this is a reflection on our team and the riders,” Major said. “We have a terrific group of student-athletes who have committed themselves to succeeding in the classroom and in the competition arena. This year, we had 21 riders named to the NCEA Academic Honor Roll, seven of which were named to the Academic First Team, and that’s something we take a lot of pride in. I want to thank Athletics Director Ray Tanner and our University President Dr. Harris Pastides for their leadership and support of our program. I also want to thank everybody in the athletics department for their work and commitment to our team’s success, and certainly I want to recognize our assistant coaches Ruth Sorrel and Carol Gwin for what they’ve done.”
Major has led the Gamecocks to two NCEA National Championships, in 2005 and 2007. South Carolina is currently the top-ranked equestrian team in the country in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association’s coaches’ poll.
The Gamecocks are in Waco, Texas this week for the 2014 NCEA National Championships, which will run April 17-19.
