Even though they currently sit at 4-4 on the year after the fall season, the TCU equestrian team is in prime position to make a run at an NCEA National Championship.

Ranked No. 6 in the nation, thanks to a deep squad that features junior Western seat rider Megan McMullen, the November NCEA National Rider of the Month, the Frogs have a tough schedule facing them in the spring.

TCU will face Baylor for the second time this year after losing the first matchup. The Frogs will also seek to avenge a loss to No. 5 Oklahoma State.

McMullen is not the only standout performer on the team. Senior Western seat rider Chantz Stewart and junior Hunt Seat rider Molly Peddicord split Big 12 Rider of the Month honors in December with McMullen, and sophomore Jayme Omand has delivered great results in equitation over fences.

While this season offers an opportunity for director of equestrian Haley Schoolfield’s team to make a push for a national title, it’s Schoolfield’s work in the recruiting circuit that has been perhaps the biggest success for the Frogs this year.

The Frogs have snagged several high-profile recruits in the recent months, including Mary Gracen Reed, a quarterfinalist at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress in three disciplines, and Emma Edwards, who won several all-around titles in her youth career.

The Reed and Edwards signings were announced within a week of each other in January, proof that Schoolfield is arguably at her best in the period between the fall and spring seasons when she can hit the recruiting trail.

The Frogs open their season at their facilities at Turning Point Ranch in Springtown against Fresno State on Feb. 5th.