WACO, Texas – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) sees the four SEC teams in the semi finals round of the Championship slate in Ocala, FL 

Aggies Defeat TCU, Advance to NCEA Championship Semifinals

OCALA, Fla. – The No. 2 seed Texas A&M equestrian team advanced to the NCEA National Championship semifinals with an 11-8 victory over No. 7 seed TCU in quarterfinal action Thursday afternoon at the World Equestrian Center. 

The tournament advances all SEC teams to become an SEC dominant National Championship. 

The Aggies (8-5) set the tone early with a 4-1 win in Reining behind winning performances from Gracie Casebolt (71.7), Isabelle Gonzalez, Mattie Gustin (72.3) and Anna Harris (72.5). Gonzalez’s ride of 73 on Giallo marked a new personal best and matched the team’s season high. 

The Maroon & White extended their lead in Fences with a 3-1 victory. Kate Egan (81.3), Alexa Leong (85.7) and Grace Shipman (87.3) each secured points to give Texas A&M a 7-2 advantage headed into the half. 

Following the break, the Aggies added four more points across Flat and Horsemanship. Nicole McMillion (87) and Shipman contributed points in Flat, while Meagan Braun (75.8) and Kendall Dirksen (76.7) picked up the other two points in Horsemanship.

Quotes

Head Coach Tana McCay on the Western Riders

“I couldn’t be more proud of the Western team. They had a really strong start, especially the Reiners. They’ve been consistent here recently. There were some really strong rides and high scores and they’ve been really solid for us here in postseason.”

Associate Head Coach Abby O’Mara on the Jumping Seat Team

“On the Jumping Seat side, we had a really strong start in Fences followed by high scores in Flat with high 80’s across the board. Overall, I’m very happy with the rides. There were minimal mistakes, just going out there, being clean, and showing off.”

Up Next

Texas A&M will face No. 3 seed Georgia on Friday at 8 a.m. in the semifinal round. The matchup will be aired on ESPN+ and the USEF Network powered by ClipMyHorse.TV. Live results from the meet can be found here.

No. 4 USC defeats No. 5 SMU in the quarterfinals for a rematch against No. 1 Auburn 

OCALA, FL – The fourth-seeded Gamecock Equestrian team secured a victory over fifth-seeded SMU 11-8 on Thursday to move on to the NCEA Semifinals for the second consecutive year.

“I feel like we started the day really well with the Jumping Seat squad kicking things off with a 4-1 win, followed by our Reiners tying a really strong SMU team,” head coach Carol Gwin said. “It was great to see Flat and Horsemanship close the deal. I’m always looking for contributions from all four sides, and it all came together today!”

The day started strong with a 4-1 win in Fences in favor of the Gamecocks. Amira Kettaneh got things rolling with an 86-79 win on Oliver, while Natalie Jayne followed suit with an 89.3-77 victory on Bentley. Bella Primavera then tied her season-high of 87 on Junior to take down a 76.3, and Grace Rabb edged out Hannah Hoch on Lou 82-81.3 to round out the event.

Over in Reining, SEC All-Freshman selection Emily Patton picked up the first point with a 69-68 win on Bullet. Senior Mattie McNeill secured the second point for the Gamecocks 70.3-68.2, and Opal Fomish tied with Sara Beth Filliatreau on Shorty with a 69.2 to make things 6-3 at the half.

The second half opened on the Flat, where South Carolina took things 3-2. Vanessa McCaughley picked up her point with an 80.3-75 win on Caviar, while Natalie Jayne (87.7-84.3 on Ethon) and Amira Kettaneh (86-81.3 on Caleb) each went undefeated on the day in Jumping Seat after earning their points.

Horsemanship concluded the day, with the Mustangs winning that battle 3-2. Despite the event loss, NCEA Horsemanship Rider of the Year Alexis Potts’ second half opening 77 clinched the meet for the Gamecocks, taking down a 75.5. on Bob. Carly Jenkins then concluded points for South Carolina, also picking up an impressive 77 on Shrek to defeat a 76.3.

UP NEXT

The Gamecocks will take on top-seeded Auburn for an SEC rematch on Friday, April 17, beginning at 9:00 a.m. The event will be streamed live on ESPN+.

No. 1 Auburn downs No. 8 Fresno State, 14-4, in NCEA Quarterfinal

OCALA, Fla. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team used a big second half to earn a 14-4 win over No. 8 Fresno State in a quarterfinal match up at the 2026 NCEA Championships Thursday morning. The national meet is being held at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida. 

“It was a little bit tight at the beginning and we had a few things in the first half that we had to bounce back from,” head coach Jessica Braswell said. “I think we just started a touch nervous , but we got through it to get to the second half and really performed well. That was the team I was expecting to see today and it’s great to get this first win under our belt.”

With the win, the Tigers advance to the NCEA Semifinal and will face SEC rival and No. 4 South Carolina. The two teams will go head-to-head at 8 a.m. CT Friday, April 17.

“We’re going to face a really talented South Carolina team that we’ve already seen a couple times this year,” Braswell said. “We know that they’re good and they’re going to come for a win and we’re going to have to have our best stuff. We’re going to have to start stronger than we did today and keep our foot on the gas. I’m thankful we earned another opportunity to compete tomorrow and we need to continue to earn it.”

Auburn (10-3) and the Bulldogs battled to a 4-4 tie after Fences and Reining before the top-ranked Tigers swept both Flat and Horsemanship to finish with the 10-point victory. 

“I’m really proud of Flat and Horsemanship and how they came to play,” Braswell said. “They were strong and consistent and we had big scores in both arenas. I’m really proud of how we rode in the second half.”

“I think we rode well in Reining, but we know that there is definitely more that can be done,” senior Alexia Tordoff said. “Horsemanship went well, being consistent and penalty free. We were able to plus what we needed to plus and looked amazing. It was nice to go in and shake off some nerves and get that first win to get us going tomorrow.”

“I think we started a little bit cautious,” sophomore Ariana Marnell said. “But we came back fighting in the second half and everyone was doing their best. Flat is a really hard event and the team handled it so well. We’ve been working really hard and are feeling so prepared and today it showed.”

The Flat corps kicked off the second half with a sweep, starting with an 82-76.3 win from freshman Caroline Olsen. Marnell followed with a 90.7 to win by eight points, setting a career high. Junior Avery Glynn bested her opponent, 90.3-74.7, before sophomore Kate Hagerty set a career best with a 92 to win by 10. Sophomore Sadie Berkhout completed the sweep with an 83.3-76.3 win over Ryley Ferguson. 

Horsemanship closed out the meet with another 5-0 sweep, starting with a huge score from Tordoff as she bested Abby Goddard, 76.8-74.2, to kick off the wins for the Tigers. Junior Sydney Swallom scored a 75.7 in her victory, while classmate Callie Hogg defeated her opponent, 73.2-66. Junior Brooke Jolstad followed with a 75-71 win and senior Caroline Fredenburg capped the meet with a 74.2-69.8 victory.

Auburn picked up two points in Fences and two points in Reining in the morning’s first half. 

Marnell and freshman Emily Jurnovoy were winners in Fences as Marnell won 83.3-75.7 and Jurnovoy bested her opponent, 84.3-74.3. Hagerty and Olsen tied their opponents to open the event. 

Tordoff and freshman Sofia Tieche had big scores in Reining to win their points. Tordoff led off with a 71.7-69.3 win and Tieche, an Ocala native, earned a 71.2 to defeat Adrianna Runzo’s 70.

No. 3 UGA faces No. 2 Texas A&M in semifinals 

OCALA, Fla. – The third-seeded Georgia equestrian team took down the six-seeded Oklahoma State Cowgirls, 14-5, in the quarterfinals of the 2026 NCEA National Championship.

Fast Facts

• The Bulldogs outscored Oklahoma State 3-1 in Fences, all of which coming from the junior class. Liza Cram put the first point on the board for Georgia, riding to a score of 88, her second-highest score of the season. Tessa Downey earned her 10th Fences victory of the season, with her 87.7-point performance. Madison Nadolenco wrapped up competition in Fences with an 86.3-point ride, edging out her opponent by one point.
• In the Flat competition, Georgia secured a 4-1 win against the Cowgirls. Despite Oklahoma State capturing the first point in the discipline, the Bulldogs went on to win the remaining four points. Tessa Brown began the point parade for Georgia, defeating her opponent 78-74. Parker Cliff added a score of 86.7 to capture her point. Freshman Kingsley Dey made her NCEA Championship debut, with a 84.7-point performance to claim her point. Maggie Bresch rode to an impressive score of 89, her second-highest score of the season, to capture the final Jumping Seat point for Georgia.
• To kick off competition in the Western arena, the Bulldogs edged out the Cowgirls 3-2 in Reining. Raegan Shepherd captured the first point, with her 72.2-point performance. Cadence Eger added a score of 71.2 to secure her point against her opponent. Lastly, Shelby Lynch rode to a 72.5 to earn the final point.
• Georgia finished out the meet with a 4-1 win in the Horsemanship competition. Lyla Bellar defeated her opponent 73.2-71.2. Kendall McClintock added a score of 73 to capture her point. Abbey Zawisza earned the highest score in the discipline, a 75.8, to secure her point. Ava Hathaway wrapped up the competition with a 75.7 to capture Georgia's 14th and final point. 

Up Next

Georgia will face No. 2 Texas A&M in the semifinals of the NCEA National Championship on Friday, April 17, at 9 a.m. ET. The meet will be available to stream on ESPN+, and live scoring can be accessed here.

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 -