Fallbrook's Maggie Earle wins national equestrian title

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – Fallbrook resident Maggie Earle, helped the Texas A&M equestrian team win the national title at the National Collegiate Equestrian Championship show in Waco, Texas, April 21 to 22.

In the championship show, the top 12 ranked NCAA equestrian teams compete before two judges in four events: English Hunt Seat over fences, English on the flat, Western Reining, and Western Horsemanship. Earle was one of a few Aggie riders that competed in two of the disciplines, and at the championship show, represented her team in the English flat and the over fences classes.

The team beat Cal State Fresno in round one then upset second seeded University of South Carolina, then the favored University of Georgia, to get to the Final Championship Round against Baylor University. Being a senior, this was Earle’s final show and her last chance to help take home the title.

She capped her Aggie career with an unprecedented 8-0 win record, setting a school record for victories, and in the her final class as an Aggie, she posted a school record and personal best combined score of 180 (92 from Judge One and an 88 from Judge Two). The Texas A&M English team tied with Baylor and the Western team won their bracket, giving the Aggie’s the overall National Champion title.

Earle has been an asset to the team since freshman year when she earned the Rookie of the Year title. She was named MVP as a sophomore and was twice asked to represent her school at the Collegiate Challenge Invitational Meet in Wellington, Fla. She will finish her degree in agriculture leadership and economics next year and remain involved with the team as an assistant coach.