WACO, Texas – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) saw five meets in the third week of spring action.

2/13 – No. 6 Oklahoma State Tops No. 7 TCU
STILLWATER — The sixth-ranked Oklahoma State University equestrian team extended its winning streak to six with a 12-8 victory over No. 7 TCU Friday afternoon at the Pedigo-Hull Equestrian Center.

The Cowgirls improved to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in Big 12 competition, while the Horned Frogs dropped to 6-4 and 2-2 in conference action. Oklahoma State now holds a 30-18 advantage in the all-time series, including a 15-3 mark in Stillwater. The win was OSU's first home victory over TCU since March 25, 2023, and avenged its only loss of the season, which came against the Horned Frogs in the opener.

Oklahoma State swept all four Most Outstanding Performer honors for the second time this season. June Roberson (Horsemanship), Emma Filiatreau (Reining), Bella Holway (Fences) and Lourdes Low(Flat) each earned MOP recognition.

Competition began with Fences and Horsemanship, where the Cowgirls established early momentum.

The Fences squad secured a 3-2 advantage behind a standout performance from Holway, who posted a season-high score of 88 — the top mark by any rider in the event. The honor marked Holway's first MOP of the season and second of her career. Freshmen Blake Rowan and Lauren Gee also contributed points as both continued their strong debut campaigns. Rowan delivered a commanding 84.5-67.5 victory to improve to 4-3 on the season, while Gee earned an 82.5-75 win over TCU's Lily Muzzy, who entered the meet with an 8-1 record.

The Horsemanship unit continued its recent dominance, earning at least four points for the third consecutive meet. Roberson, the unit's captain, earned her third MOP of the season with a 73.75-70 victory. The senior from Stratford improved her season record to 6-0-1 and moved into sole possession of sixth place in program history with 33 career Horsemanship wins, breaking a tie with her sister, Jojo. Bella D'Onofrio added another point with a narrow 72-71 win to improve to 5-2 on the season, while Jalyn McElmurray earned her fourth victory of the year with a 73-72.25 ride. Sheridan Baringer rounded out the scoring, winning her third consecutive point after opening the season 0-4.

The Cowgirls held a 7-3 lead at the break with Reining and Flat to follow.

Flat was the lone event that went in favor of TCU, as the Horned Frogs claimed a narrow 3-2 edge. Low paced the Cowgirls with an 83 — the highest score by either team in the event — earning the junior her first career MOP honor. Cadence Kueker accounted for the other Oklahoma State point, securing her fourth victory of the season.

In Reining, Filiatreau, Ava Bush and Katie Ramsey delivered the points for the Cowgirls. Filiatreau responded to her first loss of the season last week in emphatic fashion, earning a team-best fourth MOP of the year. Bush continued her impressive campaign, improving to 6-1 with a 70.25-68.5 victory, while Ramsey moved to 4-2-1 on the season after posting a 69.75 in her ride.

2/14 – No. 4 Texas A&M Upsets No. 3 SMU
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The No. 4 Texas A&M equestrian team defeated No. 3 SMU, 10-8, Saturday morning at the Hildebrand Equine Complex. 

The Aggies (5-4, 2-3) opened the meet with a dominant 3-0 sweep in Flat behind points from Nicole McMillion (79.5), Logan Thomas (81), and Devan Thomas (77.5). Logan Thomas earned MOP honors on Candy, defeating her opponent by 15 points. 

The Maroon & White extended its lead in Horsemanship, taking three of the four points to make it 6-2 at the break. Kaylynn Heitman paced the Aggies with a score of 76.5 on Fiona to earn her second career MOP honor. Meagan Braun (77), and Ady Kallay (73.25) picked up the remaining two points.

In Fences, Grace Shipman (88.5) and Alida Treuting (87) each posted points for Texas A&M. Shipman’s ride on Max earned her MOP honors, marking her second career award and a new personal best. 

To clinch the victory, Isabelle Gonzalez (69.75) and Mattie Gustin (71.75) contributed the remaining two points in Reining, sealing the 10-8 win for the Aggies. 

Following the meet, seniors Kendall Austin, Kaitlyn Bloom, Braun, Gracie Casebolt, Kyla Jackson, Alexa Leong, Ella McCullough, Kacey Murphy, Clara Nemeth, Reagan Royalty and Devan Thomas were recognized for their contributions to the program.

2/14 – No. 4 College of Charleston Defeats No. 3 Sacred Heart
CHARLESTON, S.C. – No. 4 College of Charleston avenged its loss to No. 3 Sacred Heart earlier in the fall season by defeating the Pioneers in a tiebreaker, 4 (812) - 4 (803) on Saturday.

In Fences, CofC finished with just one point, Camilla Murray earning it for the Cougars with an 87 on Jockamo, earning her the MOP after edging out her opponent by one point. There were two ties in the event, and SHU walked away 2-1 from the event.

In the Flat, the Cougars took the event 3-2 with Lainie Rubin, Olivia Welsh and Murray earning their points. Kylie Hwalek of SHU earned the MOP with the highest score of the event in an 87 on Bali. Welsh's point was earned after posting an 86 against a Pioneer's 79.

2/14 – No. 5 South Carolina Takes Down No. 1 Georgia
BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. – The No. 5 South Carolina Equestrian team (8-4, 3-3) took down No. 1 Georgia (7-3, 3-2) 16-3 on Saturday, sweeping the MOP honors to remain undefeated at home. It marked the first time in program history that the team defeated the No. 1-ranked teams in back-to-back competitions and snapped a seven-meet skid against the Bulldogs. It was the most points the Gamecocks have ever scored against Georgia.

“This was a huge victory for this team”, head coach Carol Gwin said. “They’ve been working very hard this year and I think the results showed today. A huge shoutout to our consistent performers, but also to some new faces in the lineup who are starting to produce points as well!”

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gamecocks started the day in Horsemanship, defeating the Bulldogs 4-1. Alyssa Jipping scored a 75.25 for her ride on Ziggy, edging out Ava Hathaway’s 75. Carly Jenkins picked up the next point, bringing in a 76.5 on Winston. Lillian Laney won her point 75-74.5 on Stanely, and Alexis Potts rounded things out with a 77-76.75 victory. Potts earned her fourth MOP of the season for her ride on Sparky. 

South Carolina kept the momentum rolling in Fences, earning another 4-1 win to lead 8-2 at the half. Alyssa Bauer struck first, scoring a 75 for her ride on Tito. Grace Rabb won her point 85-82.5 against Tessa Downey on Dobby. Bella Primavera edged out Madison Nadolenco 82-81.5 on Q, and Natalie Jayne scored her point with an 86.5 on Schnitzel, and won her third MOP honors of the season. 

The Gamecocks swept the points in Reining, 4-0, for the first time since 2022 against the Bulldogs. The event started with a tie, with Potts and Kennedy Buchanan each earning a 70 on Chexie. Emilty Patton outscored Shelby Lynch 71.25-71 on Thor, and Olivia Cardi scored her point with a 71 on Nike. Gracie Mae Stingle earned a 70.25 Bingo, earning her point and her first career MOP honors. Opal Fomish completed the sweep with a 71-70 win over Cadence Eger. 

The day wrapped up with Flat, where the Gamecocks posted another 4-1 win. Jayne defeated Parker Cliff 83-74 with her ride on Fenway, and Sarah Rabb scored her point with a 77.5 on Tanner. Vanessa McCaughley edged out Maggie Bresch 75-74.5 on Nino, and Kettaneh scored a massive 84.5 on Schnitzel to secure her point as well as her fifth MOP honor of the season. 

2/15 – No. 4 College of Charleston Pulls Off the Upset of No. 1 Dartmouth
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The No. 4-ranked Cougars were able to come away with the upset of top-ranked Dartmouth on Sunday, completing their second upset in as many meets on the weekend by posting a 6-4 decision.

Over Fences, College of Charleston won the event 4-1 against the Big Green with Camilla Murray, Olivia Lonneman, Olivia Welsh and Maddi Cardelli. Cardelli earned the MOP with an 89 on Oliver, besting an 85 from Dartmouth. Welsh had an impressive 88-60 decision on Chad while Muray also had an 86 over an 84 on Mozart.

For Flat, Dartmouth took the event, 3-2, along with Alexa Strauss earning the MOP after posting a 91 on Bali over an 88. For the Cougs, Samantha Aisenberg earned an 88 on Lionel, and Rubin scored an 89 on Hitchcock to earn their points.
 

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.