WACO, Texas – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association has announced the Arion Sellier Riders of the Month for January, determined by the NCEA Awards Committee and released Wednesday.
Two Gamecocks, one Mustang and one Skyhawk earned monthly accolades for their performances in January, with South Carolina's Jumping Seat twins, Grace Rabb and Sarah Rabb, making Association history as the first sisters to earn monthly awards together for Fences and Flat, respectively. They are also the first NCEA sisters to earn MOPs in the same meet. SMU's Jayna Lagace earned the honor for Horsemanship while UT Martin's Claire Carpenter is honored for Reining.
Arion Sellier Fences Rider of the Month: Grace Rabb
Junior / South Carolina / Roch Hill, S.C.
- Posted a 3-0 record
- Garnered two MOP accolades
- Averaged an 86.5 for the month
- Had a 7.83-point average win margin, with an 18.5 point spread against a top-5 team
- Went undefeated on the road with two meets against top-10 opponents, including one SEC win
Arion Sellier Flat Rider of the Month: Sarah Rabb
Junior / South Carolina / Roch Hill, S.C.
- Went 3-0 for the month
- Earned two MOP honors
- Posted a 86.17 average score
- Had a 4-point average win margin
- Had the highest score of the day against an SEC opponent
Arion Sellier Horsemanship Rider of the Month: Jayna Lagace
Junior / SMU / Higganum, Conn.
- Posted a 2-0 record for January
- Garnered two MOP accolades
- Had an average score of 77.75 for the month
- Posted an average win margin of 5.25 points
- Scored an 80 against No. 3 South Carolina, tying for the fifth-highest HMS score in NCEA history
- With her MOPs, SMU is on a 24-consecutive meet streak with a Horsemanship MOP
Arion Sellier Reining Rider of the Month: Claire Carpenter
Junior / UT Martin / Bowling Green, Ohio
- Went 2-0 for the month
- Earned one MOP honor
- Posted an average score of 69
- Had a 1-point average win margin
- Earned both of her points against the top two teams in the country
- Her win over No. 1 Auburn helped her team to a 4-1 event win
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 -