WACO, Texas – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) saw 10 regular-season meets in the seventh week of competition.
 
South Dakota State defeats UC Davis in its First Win of the Season
BROOKINGS, S.D. – A 4-1 finish in fences propelled South Dakota State to an 11-8 victory over UC Davis in ECAC equestrian action Friday at the DeHaan Equestrian Center.
 
The win was the first of the season for the Jackrabbits, who improved to 1-2 overall and 1-1 against ECAC opponents. UC Davis dropped to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in the ECAC.
 
UC Davis struck first, taking both flat and horsemanship by 3-2 counts. Sierra Elliott tallied the first point of the day for the Jackrabbits with a score of 70 in the flat discipline against Emma Joy of UC Davis, followed by Hannah Steele beating Carmen Gonzalez, 59-50.
 
Steele earned her second point of the day with a score of 84 in fences, the highest SDSU fences score of the day. Brooke Borges, Sarah Gould and Juliana Gullo also scored for SDSU in fences.
 
In horsemanship, the Jacks saw themselves down quickly as Kylie Jacobson and Natasha Replogle gave the Aggies a 2-0 edge. Anna Minich and Paige Wellendorf answered quickly with back-to-back Jackrabbit wins at 76.5-75, and 75-73.5 respectively. Minich's score of 76.5 earned her the Most Outstanding Performer for horsemanship.
 
Kendall Lance earned the final point of the discipline with a 74-73 edge over SDSU's Hannah Dutton.
 
Nicole Shroyer scored the last point for the Aggies as she defeated Mackenzie Rush 71.5-69 in reining.
 
The Most Outstanding Performer in reining was the Jackrabbits' Emma Riggs, who beat Lance, 72-70, while the 71-point performance by Adisyn Kuxhaus bested Aggie rider Emma Dillion.
 
Avery Adamson kept the Aggies close as she outscored Ada Hirschfeld 72-71.5 to bring UC Davis within one point of SDSU.
 
With the final ride of the meet, Maryn Mead's 68-67 victory over Mya Clader gave the Jacks a two-point lead.
 
No. 5 Lynchburg tops No. 1 Sweet Briar at Home
RUSTBURG, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg equestrian team showed out and knocked off the No. 1 Sweet Briar Vixens in a 7-3 decision on Friday afternoon. 
 
The Hornets (3-2, 2-1) came into the meet ready to compete against the top single discipline talent in the country and showed why they are the three-time reigning NCEA single discipline national champions. In what served as the NCEA Meet of the Week, Lynchburg had a 3-2 edge after fences and closed out the flat event with four of the five possible team points.
 
In fences, senior Fallyn Belcastro highlighted the Hornet performance with a score of 88 riding Kevin, the highest score of the afternoon. Her stellar display earned her Most Outstanding Performer for fences. Junior Abigail Zemp and senior Emma Schweizer each earned team points in fences as well. Zemp scored 85 riding Radio and Schweizer earned a score of 78 riding Colin, beating out her opponent by one point.
 
Lynchburg ran away with it in the flat, taking the first four available team points to seal the victory. Zemp and Belcastro were awarded scores of 84 and 81, respectively, and claimed team points. Sophomore Devyn Borden scored 82 riding Eragon while senior Lucy Metzler was bestowed a score of 78 riding Carl to round out the Hornet performers that earned points.

No. 2 Texas A&M Defeats No. 3 TCU at Home 
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 2 Texas A&M equestrian team downed No. 3 TCU 12-8 Friday afternoon from the Hildebrand Equine Complex.
 
The Aggies (4-1) jumped out to a 4-1 lead in Flat behind points from Brooke Brombach (82), Rylee Shufelt (82), Devan Thomas (71) and Devon Thomas (74). Shufelt's ride on Sparky garnered her MOP honors, marking the first of the season for the senior and sixth of her career. In Reining, Isabelle Gonzalez (68.5) and Mattie Gustin (69.5) picked up the lone points for the Maroon & White as they took a 6-4 lead into the halftime break.
 
Out of the half, Texas A&M secured four points in Fences to extend their advantage to 10-5. Brombach picked up her first Fences MOP honor of the year and sixth of her career with an 86 on Peter. Devon Thomas followed closely with an 85 on Max, while Alexa Leong and Alida Trueting each contributed with an 84.
 
The Aggies finished off the 12-8 victory in Horsemanship as Kendall Dirksen and Millie Landon secured the final points of the afternoon for the Maroon & White. Dirksen's score of 78.5 on Cutie Pie earned the sophomore MOP honors for the first time in her career.
 
No. 1 Auburn Dominates No. 4 Oklahoma State on the Road
STILLWATER, Okla. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team put together a big performance on the road, coming home with a 13-7 victory at No. 4 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma Friday afternoon. 

The win pushed the Tigers to 5-0 on the season and the team took three of four events vs. the Cowgirls, going 7-3 in Jumping Seat and 6-4 in Western. 

“It was a huge win today against a very good Oklahoma State team,” head coach Jessica Braswell said. “We talked about the importance of being able to win on the road and how that prepares us for the postseason. I’m so proud of how we competed. We’ve been the same team at home and on the road, which speaks to the preparation and leadership of this group.”

The Tigers also swept Most Outstanding Performer honors on the day. Fifth year Ellie Ferrigno won in Fences and sophomore Avery Glynn took MOP in Flat. Sophomore Sydney Swallom earned the first MOP of her career in Horsemanship and junior Alexia Tordoff won in Reining. 

“The four MOPs really came up big today with huge rides and scores,” Braswell said. “And our Fences and Reining lineups led us off strong with great starts. I’m very proud of our overall efforts today.”

Auburn opened the day strong, going 4-1 in both Fences and Reining to take an 8-2 lead at intermission. 

Junior Mary-Grace Segars led off Fences with an 84-81 win over Bella Holway before classmate Sophee Steckbeck took a 79-77 edge vs. her opponent. Glynn followed with a meet-best 89 in her 10-point victory. Ferrigno closed out team scoring with an 84-80 win over Gable Gering, securing MOP. 

Reining also had a big day, seeing career scores from all five riders. 

Junior Caroline Buchanan kicked things off with a 73.5-73 edge, tying her career high. Fifth year Olivia Bradley scored a career-best 74 in her win and was followed by another 74 from Tordoff, which was a career best for the Powell, Ohio product and gave her MOP. 

Freshmen Catie Reachard and Michelle Fumagalli also had career rides for the Tigers.

Fumagalli won her point with a 72-71.5 edge for a career-best score. Reachard’s 73 set a career mark but came .5 shy of her opponent. 

Horsemanship was the next event up out of the break and saw big scores from Swallom and Tordoff as the team secured two points in the event. 

Following a re-ride request, Swallom put together one of the biggest scores for the storied program in Horsemanship. The Scottsdale, Arizona native put down an 80 on her ride to not only win her point and MOP but come in as the second-highest Horsemanship score in Auburn equestrian history. 

Tordoff earned a 78.5 in her win over Peyton Baxter (75), tying a career best. 
Flat closed out the day with three wins to seal the team victory. 

Ferrigno opened with a 75-74 edge and was followed by Glynn’s MOP victory, 79-74. Segars finished things off with a 77-72 win for the Tigers. 

No. 7 Georgia tops No. 8 South Carolina on the Road
BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. – The seventh-ranked University of Georgia equestrian team secured its first SEC road victory with a 10-7 win over No. 8 South Carolina on Friday afternoon.
 
Fast Facts

• Georgia built a strong first-half lead in Fences. The Bulldogs secured four of five points in the event.
  • Melissa Deryn Foster led all Bulldogs in scoring with an 86. This ride secured her first Most Outstanding Performer (MOP) honor of the season.
  • Jordan Toering and Catalina Peralta followed closely behind with an 85 and 84, respectively. This was Toering's first score in Fences for the 2024-25 season
• Georgia added two more points to the board in Horsemanship, tying the event at 2-2.
  • Alyvia Dixon and Jordan Davis tied their season highs with 75-point rides to win their points.
• Georgia took a 6-3 lead heading into halftime.
• The Bulldogs won Reining by a 3-1 margin.
  • Cadence Eger tied her season-high score of 72 and received her second MOP of the season.
  • Jax Bound rode to a season-high score of 72 to push her point.
  • Raegan Shepherd and Kennedy Buchanan won their points to give Georgia a 9-4 advantage going into the final event.
• The Gamecocks closed the gap in Flat, winning the event 3-1.
  • Isabella David scored the only Flat point for the Bulldogs.

UC Davis Defeats Minnesota Crookston to Collect its First Win of the Season
BROOKINGS, S.D. –   After a nail-biting first half against Minnesota Crookston, the Aggies pull ahead on day two and secure their first win of the season 11-5 against the Eagles.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Horsemanship was up first, the Ags tying up with Crookston 2-2. Sophomore Kylie Jacobson earned the first point on Ranger, beating her opponent by five points with her score of 75.5, also lassoing in the MOP award in the event. Senior Kendall Lance secured the tie for the Aggies with Louie, securing the dub with an eleven-point distance between her and her competitor.
 
Fences also resulted in a tie, rounding out the first half of the meet 4-4 on the first of November. Up first was senior Jessie Rechs, who couldn't be beat as she earned the highest score of the meet with an 82, as well as the MOP award for the event. Back on Mambo, sophomore Lauren Kolbe secured her third win of the day with a total of 55, a one-point deficit between her and the Crookston competitor.
 
The Aggies swept the Flat competition as the meet resumed the following day, with efforts from Emma Jolly, Marin Gilliland, Maggie Franke, and Lauren Kolbe to pull the team ahead 8-4. Kolbe tallied up her third MOP award of the weekend with her high score of 75 on Enrique.
 
Reining chiseled the win in stone with a 3-1 victory in the final discipline of the meet over Crookston. Junior Nicole Shroyer headlined with a 71.5, earning herself the MOP award in the event. Strong showings from Avery Adamson, Emma Dillon, and Shroyer was good to finish off the Aggies with an 11-5 win.

Baylor Tops No. 6 Fresno State in Home Opener
WACO, Texas – Baylor equestrian got the upset on Friday at the Willis Family Equestrian Center, defeating No. 6 Fresno State, 12-8, in its home opener.
 
THE RUNDOWN
In Flat, Lucia Ament got the Bears started with two demo rides on Puzzle, scoring a 74.5 and then improving to a 77 in her second ride. Annie Vorhies rode in the first exhibition, scoring a 77. Lauren Jorgensen rode to a 73.5 on Albert, and Madison Mitchell earned an impressive 87 on Grande, BU's high score of the season. After a Fresno State exhibition, scoring rides started with BU's Lauren Reid, earning an 83 to best Fresno State's 80.5 for the first point. The Bulldogs scored a 78 on Albert to best Jorgensen's 73.5. Lauren Stebbins had a 75 on Z to beat out FS's 72 for a point, now 3-1 for the event. Finishing out the back half, a Bulldog scored a 71 on Grande, falling to Mitchell's 87, and Juliette Earley scored the final point with an 80 on Cowboy, overtaking FS' 73.5. The event ended with BU up, 4-1.
 
In Reining, Emily Moomaw earned the Bears a point with a score of 71.75, narrowly outriding the Bulldogs' 70.25. Isabella Hehr's ride on Cherry was reviewed for a score of 65.5, falling to FS's 68. Riley Cachat couldn't win her matchup, recording a 69.5 while the Bulldogs tallied a 70.75. Baylor's Kalena Reynolds notched a 71.75, earning the Bears their second point of the event. Unfortunately, Sadie Peters' final ride on Bear wasn't enough to win BU the event, as her 68 couldn't match Fresno's 69. The final score for this event was 3-2, Fresno State. Baylor's two scores of 71.75 tied the season's high.
 
At the half, Baylor led 6-4 over the Bulldogs.
 
Moving into horsemanship, Carley Rutledge had a 72.5-point exhibition ride to kick it off. Taylor Smith scored a 75.5 to garner the first point of the event over FS's 74.5 on Dillon. Nadalee Vasquez was unable to match Fresno State on Mister, getting a 72.25 up against a 73. However, BU was able to bounce back with Alexis Rutledge's 76.75 and Gianna Pozzi's 74.25, both enough to give Baylor two consecutive points. Fresno State closed the event with a score of 75 and a point, but the Bears won the event 3-2, extending their overall lead to 9-6. Rutledge and Smith's scores were both above the team's previous individual highs for the season.
 
Finally, in Fences, FS earned the first point on Lennox in 75. The Bears would surge back with two impressive scores, as Juliette Earley and Lauren Reid won their matchups 88-84 and 86.5-73, respectively. Emma Covarrubias' respectable 82 unfortunately wasn't enough to seal the win for BU, but Annie Vorhies' 87 was, going against the Bulldogs' 73.5 on Dez. Baylor finalized the upset with this event, winning 3-2. The Bears had three scores above the previous individual season highs in Fences. The day concluded and the Bears beat the No. 6 Bulldogs with a final score of 12-8. 
 
The Most Outstanding Performer awards went to Baylor's Mitchell in Flat, Alexis Rutledge in Horsemanship and Emily Moomaw in Reining, while Bulldog Paloma Primavera earned it for Fences.
 
Highlights
• Baylor earned three out of four MOP opportunities
• The Bears had 10 scores that were at or higher than the individual high scores this season
• On the Jumping Seat side, there were seven scores of 80 or higher
• In Western, the Bears only had three scores that weren't above a 70
 
South Dakota State Tops Minnesota Crookston to Finish an Undefeated Weekend
BROOKINGS, S.D. – A dominant performance in both jumping seat disciplines gave SDSU an edge to beat Minnesota Crookston 12-4 at the DeHaan Equestrian Center.
 
The Jackrabbits are now 2-2 on the season and 2-1 against ECAC opponents.
 
The two-victory weekend on Friday and Saturday is the first time SDSU has recorded back-to-back wins since the 2022-23 season, when the Jackrabbits upended both Delaware State and Minnesota Crookston at home.
 
The SDSU sweep in fences saw all four riders score in the 80s. Sarah Gould earned Most Outstanding Performer in her 84-0 victory over Avery Crook.
 
Hannah Steele's ride scored an 83, Brooke Borges was victorious over Alexandria Wentland and Juliana Gullo finished with a score of 85 to beat Belle Syrett.
 
Horsemanship was split 2-2 with the Golden Eagles taking the first two wins of the discipline by half a point each. Madison Wojeck narrowly beat Paige Wellendorf, 75-74.5, while Brighton McBride also lost 71-70.5 to Hailey Hanson.
 
Anna Minich earned the horsemanship Most Outstanding Performer for the second meet in a row, this time tallying a 76 to beat Ava Glenn. McKenna Hooyer took the win over Emma Mutnansky 74.2-72.5 to finish out the discipline.
 
SDSU took both flat and reining in a 3-1 fashion.
 
In flat, Kayla Scherer beat Wentland 66-55, Borges won her head-to-head against Crook 58-52 and Steele continues her undefeated record as she closed out the night with a 71-64 win over Kaylynn Berry 71-64.
 
Syrett bested Sierra Elliott for UMN Crookston's sole win in flat with a final score of 72-70.
 
Adisyn Kuxhaus picked up the first win in reining for the Jacks with a 70.5-65 victory over Madison Wachtel. Ada Hirschfeld earned MOP and a win in her match against Hailey Hanson 71.5-69.5.
 
The last point for SDSU was scored by Emma Riggs with a 71 while teammate Lillie Wallis fell short, losing to Samantha Lyons 68.5-68.
 
No. 3 Dartmouth Tops No. 2 College of Charleston at Home
HANOVER, N.H.--The No. 3 ranked Dartmouth equestrian team defeated the No. 2 ranked College of Charleston 6-4 on Saturday, improving its record to 3-0. 
 
Dartmouth trailed 3-2 at halftime after picking up a 98-95 win from Cassidy Exner '27 and a 95-85 win from Chloe Terestchenko '25. Exner's score of 98 set a program record. 
 
"Those two rides kept us in it," said head coach Tenley Walsh. "It gave us confidence heading into fences." 
 
In the second half, Dartmouth won four of the five fence matchups, led by Exner's 90-74 victory.
 
Samantha Takacs '27, Terestchenko, and Elise Stephens '28 won their matchups 85-79, 87-86, and 82-80, respectively. 
 
"This was another example of everyone pitching in. Cassidy's 98 on the flat and Chloe's MOP over fences are a result of a lot of hard work and preparation," said Walsh. "This was a really big win for our team." 
 
Sacred Heart Downs No. 2 College of Charleston to Garner its First Win of the Season 
NORWALK, Conn. — With a dominant showing in Flats, the Sacred Heart University equestrian team notched its first National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) victory of the season, defeating #2 College of Charleston on Sunday, 5-3. 
 
Starting the day off in Fences, the Pios grabbed strong showings from Kylie Hwalek who grabbed her second-consecutive win in the event, grabbing an 84 on Pixel to grab Most Outstanding Performer in the event. Reagan Waggoner also earned a close win over Charleston's Hailey Pendl, taking an 83-82 win on Remi as the Pios grabbed two points during the Fences portion. Though the Pios failed to get a sweep in Fences, Rebecca Skelton and Emma Grimes were one point from tying Charleston's Kathryn McCarthy and Camilla Murray with Skelton grabbing a 79 on Torch and Grimes taking a 78 on Foxy as the Pios and Cougars sat deadlocked, 2-2, heading into Flats. 
 
In Flats, Kennedy Teasdale's 76 on Solo provided enough cushion for the Pios to take a point off the board as Charleston's Pendl could not better the Pioneer, ending her afternoon with an identical 76 to earn a tie. In the latter half of the show, Carina Muratore and Waggoner combined to grab two important points for SHU as the seventh and ninth riders. Muratore took a decisive 75-69 win on Viv over Charleston's Camila Murray while Waggoner cleared a 77-74 win on Pixel to push SHU to victory after Charleston's Caroline Berg could not best Grimes' 73 on Alfie as the eighth rider of the afternoon. With victory having been secured for SHU, the Cougars grabbed the final point of the meet with a 79-75 win over SHU's Hwalek as the Pios took their first-ever win over the Cougars in the first-ever meeting between the schools, 5-3. 
 
About the NCEA
A non-profit corporation, the NCEA is a governing body to advance the sport of equestrian. The NCEA is responsible for the development and administration of equestrian rules and guidelines. Equestrian is subject to all NCAA policies and procedures in the same manner as other sports. In 1998, Equestrian was identified and adopted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) as an emerging sport for women at the Division I and II levels.
 
NCEA competitions are in a head-to-head format, and schools may choose to compete as a single or dual discipline team (Jumping Seat and Western). Each discipline has two events: in Jumping Seat, Fences and Flat, and in Western, Horsemanship and Reining. Teams can have five riders per event, with horses assigned by random draw at the start of the competition. Riders from opposing teams compete on the same horse, and whichever rider receives the higher score earns one point for her team. The level of difficulty is demonstrated by the accuracy of the pattern and how the competitor uses the horse to the best of her ability.
 
To stay up to date all year long on all things NCEA Equestrian, follow the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @NCEA_Equestrian and @ncea_eq.