WACO, Texas – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) has completed the fifth week of competition, with seven competitions finalized.
There was an upset with No. 4 Texas A&M outdoing No. 3 Auburn in the Meet of the Week.
Read how all of week five played out below!
10/24 – No. 4 Texas A&M Upends No. 3 Auburn in Home Opener
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The No. 4 Texas A&M equestrian downed No. 3 Auburn, 1452-1439.5, Friday afternoon from the Hildebrand Equine Complex in the NCEA Meet of the Week.
The Aggies (2-1, 1-1) opened the meet with a 3-2 victory in Flat, highlighted by points from Kate Egan (70), Devan Thomas (74) and Logan Thomas (71). Egan earned her first MOP honor of the season for her ride on Splendid. Auburn took the sweep in Horsemanship to take the lead heading into the break.
After the half, the Maroon & White narrowed the deficit to 6-9 behind an MOP ride from Alida Treuting with a score of 85 on Max. Alexa Leong (80) and Grace Shipman (79.5) contributed the remaining points.
Texas A&M sealed the comeback by securing four points in Reining with top performances from Moriah McQueen (69.25), Isabelle Gonzalez (70), Mattie Gustin (69.25) and Anna Harris (71.5). Gonzalez earned her first MOP honor of the season for her ride on Indie.
10/24 – Second-Ranked South Carolina Pushes Past No. 9 UC Davis
BISHOP, GA – No. 2 Gamecock Equestrian (3-1, 1-1) secured its third top-10 win of the season, defeating No. 9 UC Davis 12-4 on the road Friday. Three Gamecocks picked up MOP honors, with Amira Kettaneh earning one on the Flat, Natalie Jayne in Fences, and Ruby Voortmeyer netting the first of her career in Horsemanship.
“We had a lot of highlights today, including three MOPS,” head coach Carol Gwin said. “While we needed to be a bit better to beat Georgia, I felt like the team rebounded well against UC Davis. The best part about the day was seeing the work ethic and determination.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
The day got started in Fences, with the Gamecocks taking the event 3-1. Natalie Jayne got the first point of the day with an 87.5-80 win on Watson. Alyssa Bauer then won her point on Marshal in a massive 19-point spread, 79-60. Amira Kettaneh rounded out scoring for South Carolina on Benny, taking her point 81.5-75.
South Carolina then swept the Aggies in Horsemanship, 4-0. Alexis Potts was the first to earn her point, defeating Alexa Brown 75.5-62 on Johnny. Samantha Cichos kept things rolling, earning a career-high 76 on Olive to take down Katya Dundas’ 75. Carly Jenkins defeated Eliza Plum 74.25-73.5 on Charli, and Ruby Voortmeyer finished things off with a career-high 75.25 on Lyle to take down Kylie Jacobson’s 69 and earn the first MOP of her career.
The second half started on the Flat, with the Gamecocks also sweeping the event 4-0. Mary Hunter Millet picked up an 85.5-83.5 win on Sal, followed by Sarah Rabb earning a season-high of 90 on Everest to edge out Lauren Kolbe’s 89. Kettaneh kept the points flowing with her career-high 92.5, taking down Cavan Smith’s 90 on Miso. Natalie Jayne took home the last Jumping Seat point of the day after defeating Sophia Blake 89.5-82 on Love.
The day finished with the Reiners, with the Aggies taking things 3-1. Sophomore Olivia Cardi earned the lone point for the Gamecocks, edging out Mya Clader 70.75-79.25 on JJ.
10/24 – No. 1 Georgia Outdoes No. 2 South Carolina in SEC Opener
BISHOP, Ga. – The No. 1 University of Georgia equestrian team defeated No. 2 South Carolina, 13-6, at the UGA Equestrian Complex on Friday to win the team's Southeastern Conference opener.
Fast Facts
- Georgia outscored South Carolina 3-2 in Horsemanship to open the meet. Kendall McClintock recorded the highest score for the Bulldogs with a 75.5 to win her point. This marks McClintock's career high.
- The Gamecocks edged out Georgia 3-2 in Fences. Tessa Downey rode to a season-high 88.5 to push her point and tally the highest score in the event for the Mane Dogs.
- The Bulldogs bested South Carolina 3-1 to take Flat. Kingsley Dey led Georgia with a score of 92. Her score launched the freshman into the Top-10 highest scores in program history. Madison Nadolenco and Ella Duffy all rode to career bests against the Gamecocks.
- Georgia swept the Gamecocks, 5-0, in Reigning to close out the meet. Freshman Avery Taylor posted the Mane Dawgs' highest score with a 74 to win her point. Taylor and Raegan Shepherd had career rides Friday morning.
- Most Outstanding Performer honors were awarded to Avery Taylor for her performance in Reigning. It's the first MOP nod for the freshman.
Key Quotes
Georgia head coach Meghan Boenig
On what led to Georgia's win today...
"I think it's all about hard work and consistency in building. These ladies are just going into practice every day and grinding, finding ways to become bigger and better, really putting in some work. We will continue to grow from today. I think there's some little things that we can continue to build on, but what a big start with both teams, particularly in Fences, throwing out some huge scores and just keep matching. What a wonderful place to be back in SEC competition."
On key takeaways that can be applied to tomorrow's meet…
"I think some of the takeaways are going to be the adjustability of showing the ride within the pattern. Our horses will be a little bit more tired tomorrow. They will feel different tomorrow. Our athletes will be that way too. We've got another meet that we're helping host right here. So, this is really going to be about resilience and grit tomorrow, and making sure you finish the drill."
Kingsley Dey | Jumping Seat | Freshman
On her performance today…
"I'm feeling great. It was a big win for the team and I'm happy that I was able to do my part. The horse went well. I thought I performed well."
On what she can take away from today's meet and apply to tomorrow's meet…
"Just trying to keep that consistency, that confidence that I felt today as I go into tomorrow. Just trying to carry over that same feeling and get another big score."
10/25 – Top-Ranked Georgia Downs No. 9 UC Davis
BISHOP, Ga. - The No. 1 University of Georgia equestrian team finishes the weekend with a win over No. 9 UC Davis, 15-3, at the UGA Equestrian Complex on Saturday, October 25.
Fast Facts:
- The Mane Dawgs started off strong in Fences with a 4-0 lead. Liza Cram had a career high score of 89. Tessa Downey had a season high of 89.5.
- Georgia kept it rolling with a score of 4-1 in Horsemanship. Abbey Zawisza had the team's second highest score of the season, 77.75.
- In Flat, the Bulldogs took the narrow win of 3-1. Maggie Bresch started off with a career high, as well as team season high, of 92.5. Bresch now holds the tenth highest score in Mane Dawgs history. Kinglsey Dey had back-to-back days with a score of 92.
- The Mane Dawgs finished the afternoon strong in Reining, 4-1. Cadence Eger had a career high of 74.5.
- Georgia swept MOPs. Liza Cram in Fences, Maggie Bresch in Flat, Abbey Zawisza in Horsemanship and Cadence Eger in Reining.
Key Quotes:
Head Coach Meghan Boenig
On her main takeaway from today:
"I think we just kind of kept building on the momentum of yesterday, found a couple more places we could close gaps, put out some really aggressive rides that ended up in huge scores, MOPs, really, really proud of this group. It is quite a test to host two back-to-back and then put the neutral one in. Having that kind of focus is so important. Having said that, we're going to continue to work on the little in-between. There are little moments that we want to really shut the door entirely. This team can do that. Challenge is always going to be going on the road. Things become unfamiliar. Do you question yourself, or do you really get in the weeds and pull it out?"
On what little moments could be improved:
"I think little specific moments are so subtle and so small. It may be a corner with a breath. It may be making eye contact. It may be pushing your horse for just that half point more. What we're really excited about we are not talking about major errors. We're not talking about negative numbers coming to positive numbers. We're talking about making a good score a great score."
Cadence Eger | Reining | Junior
On competing in Reining today on Jewels...
"Honestly, after the ride, I just loved her. She's such a great mare and I felt on top of the world. It's so cool just to go out there and go ride these horses."
On what she can take away from today's meet...
"One thing that I can take away from this is to always count on your horse. They can do a lot in the show pen, even when some things don't go right in the warmup."
10/25 – No. 3 Auburn Takes Tiebreak Over No. 7 SMU
DALLAS – The No. 3 Auburn equestrian team rode to its second-straight 10-10 tie in the state of Texas, but this time the Tigers came away with the raw score edge over No. 7 SMU in Dallas at the SMU Equestrian Center Saturday afternoon.
Auburn’s margin of victory over the Mustangs was less than a point as the visiting Tigers came away with a 1645.75-1645.38 tiebreak win to improve to 2-1 on the year.
“I’m very proud of our performance today,” head coach Jessica Braswell said. “It was a huge, bounce back win. SMU is a very good team that is extremely tough to play at home. We stayed in this meet from beginning to end and we can take a lot away from this weekend. We’re looking forward to getting back to work to get ready for the next one.”
A pair of Tigers in junior Avery Glynn and sophomore Ariana Marnell came away with Most Outstanding Performer honors on the Jumping Seat side. Glynn was awarded for her winning performance in Fences, while Marnell’s edge on the Flat secured the team’s 10th point and the first Flat MOP of her career.
Auburn took a 6-4 lead at intermission after going 3-2 in both Fences and Horsemanship.
SMU took the first point of Fences before sophomore Sadie Berkhout and Glynn won the next two match ups. Berkhout outscored her opponent, 80.5-77.5, while Glynn had a meet-best 88 points to top Augusta Iwasaki’s 84. Freshman Caroline Olsen earned the final point of the event for the Tigers with an 83.5-83 edge over Hannah Hoch.
Horsemanship was led by a trio of upperclassmen in junior Sydney Swallom and seniors Caroline Fredenburg and Alexia Tordoff. Swallom edged her opponent, 77-76.75, while Fredenburg picked up a 74.25-73.75 victory. Tordoff capped things off with a 74-71.75 win.
SMU responded with a pair of 3-2 event wins of its own in the second half, battling the Tigers to a 10-10 tie after edging Auburn in Reining and on the Flat
Auburn secured two points in Reining, starting with a 70.25-66.75 win from senior Caroline Buchanan. Sophomore Michelle Fumagalli bested Addi Schmersal, 71.25-70.75, and the Tigers held a slight 8-7 lead over the Mustangs heading into the final event of the day.
After SMU took the first point on the Flat, Glynn picked up a big win for the Tigers as she downed Katie Kiely, 82.5-73.5. The Mustangs followed with two more wins to take their first lead of the meet at 10-9 with one ride to go.
Marnell went first in her match up with Iwasaki, scoring an 87.5. Iwasaki, the final rider of the day, fell just short with an 87 to give Marnell the win and MOP and giving the Tigers the meet-tying point as well as the tiebreaker edge.
10/25 – Sacred Heart Shines at Home Over Centenary
FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The Sacred Heart University equestrian team delivered a commanding performance on Saturday afternoon, posting a 9-1 victory over Centenary University in National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) action at Silvermine Farm. The Pioneers controlled the meet from start to finish, sweeping all five points in Fences and securing four of five on the Flat.
Of Note:
In Fences, the Pioneers were dominant across the lineup.
Carina Muratore set the tone with an impressive ride aboard Fuego, earning a score of 85 to capture the first point and Most Outstanding Performer (MOP) honors.
Rebecca Skelton followed with a confident round on Charlie to add another point, while
Reagan Waggoner delivered a composed ride on Remi to extend the SHU lead.
Kylie Hwalek turned in a strong performance on Ollie to secure an additional point for the Pioneers, and
Eleese Shillingford closed out the event with a smooth, controlled ride on Danny to complete the 5-0 sweep.
Sacred Heart maintained its momentum in the Flat portion, taking four of five rides to close out the meet. Shillingford opened the event with a steady, precise ride aboard Solo to earn the first point for SHU. Muratore followed with another standout performance on Alfie to secure her second win of the day.
Skelton continued the Pioneers' success with a composed round on Viv, while Waggoner impressed the judges with her strong ride on Ollie to earn Most Outstanding Performer (MOP) honors on the Flat. Hwalek rounded out the lineup with a competitive ride aboard Fuego.
About the NCEA
The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing collegiate equestrian, an emerging NCAA sport for women. In partnership with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), the NCEA provides opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level while achieving excellence in academics and athletics.
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.
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