Before the USEA Intercollegiate Championship, USC Aiken eventing team president Carson Langenberg was hopeful but cautious about the possibility of winning. She believed in the team but knew nothing was certain, especially when playing against much larger schools. Now that she is on top, the reality has yet to sink in.
“I was in a state of disbelief,” Langenberg said. “I just feel an overwhelming sense of happiness for my teammates. I couldn't be more proud of them. They really showed up, showed out and did amazing, amazing work.”
Michelle Hodge, the staff advisor for the USC Aiken eventing team, said the championship feels wonderful.
“I am over the moon excited for these girls. They work so hard, they study hard, they play hard, they ride hard. This is absolutely fantastic for us.”
Across the multi-day contest from May 26-28 in Mill Spring, North Carolina, the Pacers were in a close battle with Auburn University, but after the last day of competition, the USC Aiken team finished with the best score and won the school’s first ever Intercollegiate Championship.
The team was relatively inexperienced in intercollegiate competition compared to the other schools, but it did not show. Langenberg said she made sure to keep morale high throughout the weekend.
“We all showed up for every single ride, for every single one of our team members,” Langenberg said. “In my personal experience, when I have the support of the people that I care about and that I’m around, I perform better.”
USC Aiken was one of the smallest schools attending with only five riders at the competition, and is only a club team. Larger schools like the University of Kentucky had eight whole teams competing. Langenberg said the other schools were intimidating but she wanted to prove that her team belonged.
“Each of the schools had like a full barn of people and we only took up like five stalls,” Langenberg said.
Langenberg said USC Aiken’s camaraderie makes up for what it may be lacking compared to the larger programs.
“Because Aiken has such a smaller campus, you're able to get to know everyone on your team,” Langenberg said. “You're able to really get to know every single person, build a relationship with them, really, really focus on on that and get close with one another.”
Langenberg expects to graduate in the fall and Alexa Duncan, the former team president who competed as well, has already graduated. To continue the team’s success and build on the win, Hodge said it has to recruit well.
“If we can sell the city of Aiken and sell the school, we’ve got it,” Hodge said.
Because the eventing team is only a club team, it will never be as well-funded as the NCAA teams at the school. But Hodge hopes the championship win will attract more donors.
“We’ll see how it all shakes down,” Hodge said. “Hopefully this will put us on the map a little bit.”
