WACO, Texas – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) saw eight meets between twelve teams.

2/6 – No. 7 TCU takes the win over No. 10 South Dakota State
BROOKINGS, South Dakota - For the fifth time this season, No. 7 TCU Equestrian earned a top-10 win, this time defeating No. 10 South Dakota State at the DeHaan Equestrian Center on Friday. The Horned Frogs cleaned every event in their first road matchup of the spring slate.
In Fences, TCU’s Lex Lipacis, Lily Muzzy and Lilly Goldstein earned points for the Horned Frogs, with all three scoring above an 84 in the event. Their marks were the three highest scores across both teams. Lipacis picked up the MOP accolades
 
Success continued in Horsemanship, where Piper Keller, Sydney Feager and Tatum Keller earned wins to give TCU a 6-4 lead at the halfway mark. The win gave Feager the MOP for the event.
 
In Reining the squad in purple and white created separation, earning four points behind strong performances from Calla Thomas, Kaylene Cunningham, Cassie Hacking and Sydney Sargent.
 
Entering the final event, the Horned Frogs needed just one point to secure the victory, but they had their eyes on more than just one. Victoria Zahorik, Madi Lo Porto, Hanna Dolan and Lilly Goldstein captured wins to push TCU well past the clinching mark. Dolan earned her first career MOP accolade.
 
NEXT UP
The Horned Frogs are set to face Delaware State in South Dakota on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.
 
2/6 – No. 5 OSU emerges victorious over Baylor
WACO, Texas – Fifth-ranked Oklahoma State delivered a milestone victory Friday afternoon at the Willis Family Equestrian Center, defeating Baylor 10-8 for the 200th win in program history.

Three Cowgirls earned MOP honors for their performances. Cadence Kueker recorded her third of the season in Flat, Ava Bush claimed her second in Reining and Bella D’Onofrio picked up her first of the year in Horsemanship.  

Baylor took a narrow 3-2 advantage in Flat, with Oklahoma State's points coming from Cadence Kueker and Sophia Tabasso, each posting a score of 80.5. Kueker's third MOP of the season ties Emma Filiatreau for the team lead, as the senior has earned MOP honors in every meet in which she has recorded a point. Tabasso continued her impressive freshman campaign, improving to 4-2 on the season after being named the Big 12 Flat Rider of the Month in November. 

The Cowgirl Reining unit continued its dominance with a 3-1 advantage, pushing its season record to 20-9. Bush led the way with a career-high score of 74.5, improving to 5-1 on the season. Team captain Tristan Bagby followed with a season-best 72.75 to move to 3-3, while freshman Ayden Welman remained a key contributor, earning her fourth win in six contests. Katie Ramsey and the Bears' Isabelle Hildebrandt both scored 71.5, tying the point. Filiatreau suffered the first loss of her junior season, as Baylor's Britt McIlnay claimed the point in the match up. 

Baylor claimed a 4-1 win in Fences, with Bella Holway earning the lone point for the Cowgirls to improve to 4-2 on the season in the discipline. 

Oklahoma State needed a strong showing from its Horsemanship squad, and the Cowgirls delivered with a decisive 4-0 shutout. D'Onofrio and Alana Stanton each scored 77 or higher to earn points and set new season highs, while Jalyn McElmurray added another point with a career-high score of 75. 

The final ride of the meet came down to Baylor's Avery Mortman, who needed to surpass Sheridan Baringer’s 73 to force a tiebreaker. Mortman fell just short with a 71.75, as Baringer secured her second win of the season and clinched the victory of the Cowgirls. 

NEXT
Oklahoma State returns home on Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. to host TCU, as the Cowgirls look to split the season series with the Horned Frogs.
 
2/6 – No. 9 UC Davis Dominates Against Minnesota Crookston
DAVIS, California - UC Davis equestrian returned home to secure a commanding 16-3 victory over the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles. The Aggies showcased their depth across both Jumping Seat and Western disciplines, highlighted by two event sweeps and two Most Outstanding Player (MOP) honors.

UC Davis opened the meet in Fences, sweeping the event with every Aggie in the lineup posting a score over 80. Lauren Kolbe led the way with an outstanding 88 aboard Otis, earning the highest score of the discipline as well as MOP honors for her ride. Anna Donovan then delivered a strong 86 on Camelot to defeat her opponent by 13 points, while Sabine Close posted an 83 aboard BamBam to win her matchup by an 11-point margin. Chloe Fares (84) and Lily Grosz (82) also secured points to complete the 5-0 sweep.

In the western arena, Katya Dundas opened Horsemanship with a team-high 73 aboard Chip to claim the first point. The Golden Eagles secured two wins, but Laura Kate Holliday secured the final point of the event with a 72 on Penny, defeating her opponent by seven points. Eliza Plum also delivered a gritty performance, finishing in a 68.5 tie aboard Hoss.

The momentum continued in Flat, where the Aggies claimed four of the five points. Kolbe again anchored the unit with an 87 aboard Smilla, outscoring her opponent by an impressive 25 points. Donovan added another point with an 84 on Calvigo, beating her counterpart by a whopping 44 points. Carmen Gonzalez (82) and Cavan Smith (51) rounded out the scoring for the Aggies in the event.

The Aggies closed the meet with another perfect sweep in Reining, taking all five points. Ada Hirschfeld and Mya Clader tied for the discipline high score with 72s aboard Vinny and Belle. Clader edged her opponent by 1.5 points, while Hirschfeld won her matchup by four points to earn the MOP honor. Nicole Shroyer posted a 71.5 on Mr. T to win by 3.5, while Mylea Trimble (70) and Avery Adamson (70.5) both won their points by three-point margins to finalize the 16-3 Aggie victory.

UP NEXT
The Aggies return to the road on Saturday, Feb. 21, to face South Dakota State for the second time this season.
 
2/6-7 – No. 7 TCU Wins Fourth Straight Meet Over Delaware State
BROOKINGS, South Dakota - In a meet that began Friday and concluded on Saturday morning, the seventh-ranked TCU equestrian team used a strong Horsemanship performance to defeat Delaware State, 9-5, at DeHaan Equestrian Center.

Earning MOP accolades for TCU were Lily Muzzy (Fences), Victoria Zahorik (Flat), Calla Thomas (Horsemanship) and Kaylene Cunningham (Reining).

The meet opened on the Flat, and following a re-ride the teams split the four points. Lex Lipicas and Victoria Zahorik earned points for the Frogs with scores of 88 and 91, respectively. Zahorik's 91 earned her the MOP honors.

Friday's action concluded with Reining, where TCU claimed two more points while holding the Hornets to one. Sydney Sargent and Kaylee Cunningham each claimed points, while Lannie-Jo Lisac tied. Cunningham picked up the MOP after posting a 69.5.

The Horned Frogs gained separation in the first event Saturday morning, taking Horsemanship 3-0. Piper Keller, Tatum Keller and Calla Thomas added to the TCU total, while Sydney Feager drew her point. The MOP went to Thomas with a score of 73.

In the final event of the meet, TCU secured two points from Lily Muzzy and Lex Lipacis to seal the victory. Muzzy earned MOP honors, her fourth of the season.

UP NEXT
TCU returns to Big 12 competition with a road matchup against No. 5 Oklahoma State on Friday, February 13 at 1 p.m. in Stillwater.
 
2/7 – No. 10 SDSU Propels Past the DSU Hornets
BROOKINGS, South Dakota - South Dakota State opened with a sweep in fences and held off Delaware State, 11-8, Saturday to close out a weekend of collegiate equestrian competition at the DeHaan Equestrian Center. With the win, the Jackrabbits improved to 4-5 overall in head-to-head competition and 4-2 against ECAC opponents. The victory also marked the first for SDSU under new head coach Julia Werkhoven.

The Jackrabbits built a big early lead by winning all five matchups in fences. Each of SDSU's riders tallied at least 77 points in the event, with Most Outstanding Performer Sarah Gould leading the way with a score of 87 aboard Thomas. Isabelle Malick also topped the 80-point mark with an 81. Brooke Borges (79), Juliana Gullo (78) and Heidi White (77) notched the other Jackrabbit victories. As a team, SDSU racked up a season-high 402 points in the fences category.

Delaware State trimmed the deficit to 6-3 at the halfway mark by winning three of the four points awarded in horsemanship. Grace Gerbus was the lone winner for the Jackrabbits with a score of 77 on Snaps. Anna Minich tied the Hornets' Madison Wojcek with a score of 71.

The Jackrabbits regained the momentum with a 3-2 advantage in reining. Hailey Hanson led the way with a score of 71.5 on JoJo, while Lillie Wallis (71) and Adisyn Kuxhaus (70.5) also posted winning scores. Kuxhaus, was selected as the reining MOP, improved to a team-best 6-2-1 in head-to-head matchups this season.

Gullo and White each turned in their second victories of the day with wins in flat as SDSU recorded another team-high total with 409 points. A senior from Itasca, Illinois, Gullo secured the Jackrabbit victory by winning her matchup with a score of 88 on Mack. White, a freshman from Senoia, Georgia, claimed an 84-77 victory over Sarah Hoffmeyer on Elton.

NEXT UP
South Dakota State wraps up the home portion of its schedule Feb. 21 versus UC Davis. Start time for the Senior Day competition is tentatively slated for 9 a.m.
 
2/7 – No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks Take Down No.  1 Auburn Tigers
COLUMBIA, South Carolina - The No. 6 South Carolina Equestrian team (7-4, 2-3) started off the spring home slate with a bang, taking down No. 1-ranked Auburn (6-2, 2-2) 10-9 in a meet that came down to the final event. Horsemanship stole the day, defeating the Tigers 5-0 for the first-ever 5-0 sweep in the event over Auburn in program history. The win also marked the second over a No. 1-ranked team in the past year (prev. No. 1 Auburn, 3/28).

Horsemanship set the tone early, sweeping with a dominant 5-0 final score in the event. Alexis Potts started off the scoring for the Gamecocks, taking down Caroline Fredenburg 75.75-75 on Winston while earning her third MOP of the season. Lillian Laney (74.25-69.5 on Winston), and Carly Jenkins (75.5-73 on Ziggy) followed suit to clinch things. Alyssa Jipping then edged out Alexia Tordoff 71.75-71.25 to hand Tordoff her first loss of the season. Ruby Voortmeyer kept the good times rolling, rounding the event off with a 73.25-70.35 on Brad over Sydney Swallom.

Over in Fences, Auburn took that battle 3-2. Amira Kettaneh got the first Jumping Seat point of the day for the Gamecocks on Marty, defeating Ariana Marnell 86-81.5, while Grace Rabb took her point 84-84.5 on Rio to make things 7-3 at the half.

Flat got things started back up, with South Carolina taking it 3-2. Kettaneh opened up with a massive 91.5 on Major, taking down Kate Hargerty’s 83. For her ride, Kettaneh picked up her fourth MOP of the season, marking the most of any Gamecock so far this year.

Over in Reining, the Tigers attempted their comeback, taking things 4-0. However, a 70.5 brought in by freshman Emily Patton earned the tie, giving the Gamecocks the clinch to win the meet.

NEXT UP
South Carolina stays home to take on Georgia, celebrating the annual Equifest event on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 11:00am
 
2/7 – No. 2 UGA Defeats No. 3 Texas A&M
BISHOP, Georgia - The second-ranked Georgia equestrian team defeated No. 3 Texas A&M, 12-7 at the UGA Equestrian Complex on Saturday. The Mane Dawgs brought home MOP honors for three out of four disciplines.

Georgia dominated the Aggies 4-1 in Horsemanship to open the meet. Junior Abbey Zawisza posted the Bulldogs' highest score with a 76.5. Freshman Ava Hathaway recorded a new season high score of 86, while senior Alyvia Dixon added a 75.5.

Georgia edged out the Aggies in Fences 3-2. Junior Tessa Downey adding another MOP to her resume after an 88-point ride for the Bulldogs. Sophomore Ella Witt tied her career high of 86, capturing her point over Texas A&M's Grace Defoe.

The Bulldogs took a 3-2 win against the Aggies in Reining. Cadence Eger sat at the top of the Reining leader board for the Bulldogs with a score of 73.75. Junior Kennedy Buchanan posted a score of 73.5, a new career high, to add another point to the Georgia lead. Texas A&M's Mattie Gustin was award MOP for the event.

Georgia and Texas A&M wrapped up the meet in Flat, with two points each. Tessa Brown earned her the Flat MOP honor, after riding to an 89 to win her point, leading the Mane Dawgs in scoring for the event.

Four Mane Dawgs either earned or tied their career high scores in the win. Along with Buchanan and Hathaway, Brown rode to a new career high of 89 in Flat, and Witt's 86 in Fences tied her career best.

NEXT
Georgia will hit the road next week to face off against No. 6 South Carolina at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14 at One Wood Farm in Blythewood S.C.
 
2/7 – No. 8 ‘Dogs Dominate Over the Golden Eagles
FRESNO, California - The No. 8 Fresno State equestrian team defeated Minnesota Crookston 16-3 on Saturday afternoon at the Student Horse Center. The win was Fresno State's largest of the season as the 'Dogs improved to 4-3 overall.

Fresno State swept Saturday's Most Outstanding Performer honors. Paris Mahoney was the fences MOP, Ryley Ferguson was the flat, Brogan Hill was the reining and Hailey Olson was the horsemanship. Fresno State also saw its first reining sweep of the season, taking a 5-0-0 win in the event on Saturday.

The Bulldogs dominated from the start, earning a 4-1-0 win in the fences. Mahoney, Molly Stewart, Sage Lindvall and Bridey Jones earned their points. Mahoney was named MOP with a career-high 88.

In the horsemanship, Fresno State earned three points and saw a tie from Abby Goddard. The MOP ride by Hailey Olson was a 76.5-72 victory, her highest score of the season. Shelby Robinette and Aubrey Gerdes picked up their points, both with scores of 75 or higher.

The reining squad swept in the event, sealing the victory early. Hill, Adrianna Runzo, Alana Becker, Abby Goddard and Shelby Robinette were the 'Dogs in the lineup on Saturday. Hill, having to go up against a first-round 72, earned the MOP of the meet with a 73.

The Bulldogs were strong in the flat with another 4-1-0 win. Mahoney, Lindvall, Autumn Bradbury and Ryley Ferguson earned their points. Ferguson picked up her second career MOP honor with a career-high 86. She was the only rider to score above an 80 in the event, by either team.

NEXT
Fresno State hits the road for a pair of Big 12 matches at TCU and Oklahoma State on February 26-27.

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