RESULTS
Oct. 26, 2014
DALLAS (SMU) - It came down to the last ride but the SMU equestrian team pulled a thrilling, tiebreaking victory over No. 1 ranked and defending national champion Georgia at the Sleepy P Ranch Sunday. The Mustangs (3-2) and Bulldogs (1-2) were tied 9-9 at the end of the competition but SMU out-scored UGA 1525.25-1350 in raw score for the upset.
"We had a couple weeks to prepare for this one and I felt that we came in very prepared," first year head coach Carol Gwin said. "It was a huge win for us and it came at the perfect time over parent weekend. We had tremendous support today. It was a great environment at the Sleepy P."
SMU came out of the gate strong by claiming equitation over fences 4-1. Sylvia de Toledo had a sensational ride on Charm for an 88-64 victory over UGA's Liza Finsness. Other Mustang points came from Emma Roberts (81), Schaefer Raposa (79) and Alli Toffolon (72). The only defeat came narrowly, 87-85, when Alex Butterworth lost to Megan Southam.
Hunt seat success continued into the flat. Butterworth brought home Most Outstanding Player honors with an 80-68 romp over Meg O'Mara. Greer Hindle won 76-75 over Kylee Arbuckle for her second win of the season and Roberts (78) scored the other SMU point.
"Emma was 2-for-2 and rode magnificently," Gwin said. "She was a superstar. Alex deserved her MOP and rode great in both events. Our hunt seat has been pretty consistent all year and I am encouraged by the progress."
The 7-2 hunt seat margin of victory was the largest for SMU this year.
Georgia took the western events 7-2. Morgan Redwine scored the lone points in both horsemanship and reining. Her 72.5-72 horsemanship win over Vanessa Gillete and 66-0 reining victory over Claudia Spreng improved her overall record to 5-3 on the year.
SMU kept it close with Georgia in the western events. The Mustangs largest margin of defeat was only by four points.
"Morgan came through for us," Gwin said. "We were so close to getting some of those points from our other kids. We have really been improving and showing we can compete with anyone. We are going in the right direction."
The Mustangs have a short turnaround as the team will compete next weekend in South Dakota. SMU will face South Dakota State and New Mexico State in its last competitions of the fall.
"It was a great day for a win but we will not take a day off as we leave Thursday for competitions next weekend," Gwin said. "They will be tough opponents and our schedule continues to challenge us. I feel like this will all pay off for us in the spring as we build towards nationals."
NOTE: The Mustangs have now knocked off back-to-back NCEA ranked opponents. Three weeks ago the unranked Ponies upset then-ranked No. 8 Texas A&M.
