WACO, Texas – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association announced the Arion Sellier Riders of the Month for October, determined by the NCEA Awards Committee.
Two Tigers and two Bulldogs earned monthly accolades for their performances in October, with Auburn's Sydney Swallom earning Horsemanship and Avery Glynn for Flat alongside Georgia's Raegan Shepherd in Horsemanship and Tessa Downey for Fences.
Arion Sellier Fences Rider of the Month: Tessa Downey
Junior / Georgia / Houston, Texas
- Posted a 5-0 record
- Garnered an MOP accolade
- Averaged an 86.2 for the month
- Had a nine-point average win margin
- Set a season-high score of 89.5 against UC Davis
Arion Sellier Flat Rider of the Month: Avery Glynn
Junior / Auburn / Petaluma, Calif.
- Went 4-0 for the month
- Earned one MOP honor for a score of 94
- Posted a 83.9 average score
- Had a 7.5-point average win margin
Arion Sellier Horsemanship Rider of the Month: Sydney Swallom
Junior / Auburn / Scottsdale, Ariz.
- Posted a 4-0 record
- Garnered two MOP accolades
- Had a score of 75.94 for the month
- Earned two 77s, one being named NCEA's Western Ride of the Week against Baylor
Arion Sellier Reining Rider of the Month: Raegan Shepherd
Senior / Georgia / Clayton, N.C.
- Went 4-0 for the month
- Earned one MOP honor
- Posted an average score of 71.38
- Had a 1.63 win margin
About Arion Sellier
Arion Sellier is a saddle and tack company, with products handmade authentically in France. The company was launched in the United States in 2018, focusing on tack and accessories, and in 2020, Arion started its own innovative saddle line to create semi-custom and completely custom saddles.
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.
- collegiateequestrian.com -