No. 10 Mustangs Open Conference Slate in the Desert
Oct 1 | Equestrian
| SMU (0-2, 0-0 UEC) at New Mexico State (0-0, 0-0 UEC) | |
| Date & Time | Saturday, Oct. 3 at 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. MT |
| Location | New Mexico State Equestrian Center Las Cruces, N.M. |
| Meet Info | SMU Meet Notes |
| /SMUMustangs /SMUEquestrian | |
| @SMUEquestrian | |
DALLAS (SMU) -- The SMU Mustangs travel to Las Cruces, New Mexico to square off against the New Mexico State Aggies, Saturday, Oct. 3 at the New Mexico State Equestrian Center. The meet is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. MT.
 | SETTING THE SCENE |
LAST TIME OUT: SMU traveled to Stillwater, Oklahoma and took on the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, but fell by a margin of 13-6. The Mustangs opened the meet nipping at OSU's heels, tying the equitation over fences discipline at two apiece, before being edged, 3-2 on flats. Senior Schaefer Raposa was victorious in both of her events for the second consecutive meet, claiming her third MOP of the year with impressive 83-76 victory over fences and 79-75 on the flats. The Cowgirls took advantage of a young Mustang western team and won the western events, by a margin of 8-2, winning the meet 13-6. In western, Morgan Redwine won a point in horsemanship (72.5-71.5) before Kelsey Karanges posted a 71.5-71 reining victory.
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO STATE: The New Mexico State Aggies equestrian team is coming off a 7-8 season in 2014-15. The Aggies did see postseason action as they placed third in the United Equestrian Conference Championship (UEC) and qualified for the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) Championships. New Mexico State has 13 returning riders, including senior Brynn Larson who earned the Reining UEC Rider of the Year award in 2015. Larson is a two-time All-American in reining after earning the honor in both 2014 and 2015.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE AGGIES: This will be the 10th time in progam history that these two teams face off. SMU holds a 7-2 advantage over NMSU all-time. The two forces saw each other twice last season, once in Brookings, South Dakota for a neutral duel, the other at the United Equestrian Conference (UEC) Championships. The Mustangs won both meetings last season, a 9-7 victory, Oct. 31st, and a 10-6 win, March 27.
RAPOSA NCEA RIDER OF THE MONTH HONOR: Schaefer Raposa was named the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) Equitation Over Fences Rider of the Month for September. Raposa managed a 2-0 record over fences in the month of September, both coming against nationally-ranked teams. The Clinton, New York-native was distinguished as Most Outstanding Performer (MOP) in both of her head-to-head wins, claiming an impressive 92-78 victory over No. 8 TCU's Kari Hancock and a 79-75 win over Amy White, of No. 6 Oklahoma State.
NCEA POLLING: There was little change to the latest National Collegiate Equestrian Association National Team Rankings. SMU moves to No. 10 in the poll, with New Mexico State moving to No. 9. Three teams currently hold ranking but are yet to compete.
COVERAGE OF THE MUSTANGS: Fans can follow the Mustangs all season long with live stats available at smumustangs.com. You can also follow the equestrian team on Facebook (facebook.com/SMUEquestrian) and on Twitter (@SMUEquestrian).
