Equestrian excels at nationals as host

Last weekend, Baylor hosted the Varsity Equestrian National Championships — the second straight year that the Bears have played host. In fact, Baylor will host the championships at the Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex next spring, too.

Of all the NCAA championships, only baseball hosts its championship in the same city every year. Could Waco follow in Omaha’s footsteps? Baylor equestrian fans can only hope so.

In the meantime, there’s plenty of success in the arena to cheer about. Junior Nicole Brown fell two points shy of winning the program’s first national championship over the weekend, losing 162-160 in the Equitation Over Fences title match. (The Waco Tribune-Herald ran a nice feature on Brown here.) Baylor’s hunter seat team also posted its best-ever finish at nationals, placing sixth.

(If you don’t quite get the terminology, BaylorBears.com has a pretty good FAQ here. My wife, a former Baylor Riding Association member, has helped me learn the sport.)

Sic ’em, Baylor equestrian!