WACO, Texas – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association has announced the Arion Sellier Riders of the Month for February, determined by the NCEA Awards Committee and released Wednesday.
After all the meets in February, riders from Lynchburg, South Carolina, College of Charleston, Oklahoma State and SMU all shone brightly in their times out in the ring. Madeline Rubin is honored for Fences, Amirah Kettaneh for Flat alongside Lainie Rubin, Bella D'Onofrio for Horsemanship and Madison Rafacz for Reining.
Arion Sellier Fences Rider of the Month: Madeline Rubin
Sophomore / Lynchburg / Mooresville, N.C.
- Posted a 3-0 record
- Garnered two MOP accolades
- Averaged an 85 for the month
- Had a 4.83-point average win margin
- Went undefeated on the road, with both meets holding the hihgh score of the meet
Co-Arion Sellier Flat Rider of the Month: Amirah Kettaneh
Sophomore / South Carolina / Hollis, N.H.
- Went 2-0 for the month
- Earned two MOP honors
- Posted an 88 average score
- Had a 6-point average win margin
- Posted a 91.5 against top-ranked Auburn with a 8.5 win spread
Co-Arion Sellier Flat Rider of the Month: Lainie Rubin
Junior / College of Charleston / Columbia, S.C.
- Went 4-0 for the month
- Earned one MOP honor
- Posted an 85 average score
- Had a 9-point average win margin
- Helped CofC defeated two No. 1-ranked teams
- Had a high score of 90 and MOP against a 71-point ride
Arion Sellier Horsemanship Rider of the Month: Bella D'Onofrio
Junior / Oklahoma State / Columbus, Ohio
- Posted a 3-0 record for January
- Garnered one MOP accolade
- Had an average score of 75.2 for the month
- Posted an average win margin of 2.4 points
- Currently on a five-meet win streak
- Had a season high against Baylor, winning 77.5-71.5 for her second career MOP
Arion Sellier Reining Rider of the Month: Madison Rafacz
Freshman / SMU / Ocala, Fla.
- Went 2-0 for the month
- Earned one MOP honor
- Posted an average score of 71.25
- Had a 1.125-point average win margin
- Currently undefeated on the season overall at 8-0-1
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 -