The No. 5 ranked SMU equestrian program will host Delaware State Saturday at the Dallas Equestrian Center. Competition is slated to begin at 10:00 a.m. CT
ABOUT SMU: The Mustangs are 2-1 after falling to then-No. 5 Baylor, 13-6. After the loss, SMU is ranked No. 5 in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) poll. SMU earned its highest ranking in program history, being ranked No. 4 in the NCEA poll, after a victory over then-No. 9 Oklahoma State. Senior
Sylvia de Toledo and sophomore
Nora Gray return to the hunt seat arena for SMU after picking up Honorable-Mention All-America status a year ago. de Toledo earned honorable mentions in both Equitation Over Fences and Equitation on the Flat, while Gray earned over fences accolades.
Jaclyn White and
Madison Steed look to continue their success in the arena after leading the Mustangs in 2015-16 with nine wins apiece.
SCOUTING DELAWARE STATE: The Hornets have a 0-4 overall record, with shows against Baylor and TCU, before heading to Dallas. Delaware State advanced to the NCEA National Championship, but fell to Kansas State, 10-6, in the opening round. Delaware State returns junior Hayley Anderson, who was a NCEA All-America Honorable Mention in Equitation over Fences.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE HORNETS: SMU holds a 7-5 all-time advantage over the Hornets. The last meeting between the two came last season in New Mexico at the UEC Championships, where Delaware State won, 9-7.
SMU EARNS HIGHEST RANKING IN PROGRAM HISTORY: The SMU equestrian team earned its highest ranking in program history, being ranked No. 4 in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) poll, after beating then-No. 9 Oklahoma State. SMU surpassed its previous high of fifth after wins at then-No. 3 TCU and most recently then-No. 9 Oklahoma State. SMU's previous high ranking of fifth came in November of 2014, after the Mustangs topped three consecutive top-10 teams, including No. 1 Georgia, No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 10 New Mexico State.
"I am so excited for our kids and this program to get national recognition with a top five ranking," SMU head coach
Carol Gwin said. "Hard work does pay off in many ways and these young women are working very hard. We now travel to Baylor and will need to be at our best to take home a win against a quality program."
SMU CAREER WINS LEADERS: Senior
Sylvia de Toledo became SMU's all-time career wins leader after a 79-77 Equitation Over Fences win over TCU's Patty Gill. She passed former teammate
Schaefer Raposa. With one win at Baylor, she now has 56 wins in her tenure on the Hilltop.
1.
Sylvia de Toledo 56 2013-Present
2.
Schaefer Raposa 52 2012-2016
3. Emma Roberts 49 2011-15
4. Kristen Collins 46 2006-10
HOME SWEET HOME: The SMU equestrian team has moved to the Dallas Equestrian Center (DEC), which will serve as its official stables and training facility. SMU is 1-0 at the DEC, with victory in its home opener against Oklahoma State. The DEC, which was formally known as Park Lane Stables, resides on 10 acres in the heart of Dallas and is 3.5 miles from the SMU campus. The facility features three indoor arenas with new footings, two new outdoor arenas, and 20 new state-of-the-art paddocks with cover. Renovation plans include upgrades to a tack room and the addition of a club house with locker rooms and coaches' offices. In addition, a 10 horse European horse walker will be added to the facility. The facility is located at 8787 Park Ln, Dallas, TX 75231, across the parking lot from TopGolf Dallas. For more information about the Dallas Equestrian Center, visit DallasEquestrianCenter.com.
"This is huge for our program to have the ability to practice at such a high quality facility so close to campus," SMU head coach
Carol Gwin said. "I really feel like this will help us create a solid foundation and great fan base for the future of SMU equestrian. We want to encourage the public to come out and learn more about the sport and cheer on the Mustangs."
LAST TIME OUT: Freshman
Vivian Yowan won both of her events and earned her first career most outstanding performer honor in equitation over fences, as the No. 4 SMU equestrian team fell, 13-6, at No. 5 Baylor. Yowan opened the day in equitation over fences, where she recorded a discipline high-score of 86, en route to an 86-80 victory over Gabby Conte. Later, in equitation on the flat, the freshman topped the Bears' Alicia Gasser, 78-72. Since joining the Mustangs, Yowan has four victories in six rides.
ROLLING IN MOPS: Through three meets, SMU has won five MOPs, four in the hunt seat arena and one in the western ring. Senior
Alexis Graves, sophomore
Nora Gray and freshman
Vivian Yowan all earned their first collegiate MOP honors, while
Hannah McCain and
Sylvia de Toledo added to their career totals. McCain has six career honors, and de Toledo has 10.
WELCOME TO SMU: The signing period for student-athletes starting in the 2017-18 season is currently underway. More information can be found on SMUMustangs.com. In 2016-17, SMU Equestrian head coach
Carol Gwin signed eight riders, four hunt seat riders and four western riders. Hunt seat riders are
Mary Elizabeth Cordia,
Carolina Crossfield,
Vivian Yowan and
Haley Zimmerman.
Holly Lansidel,
Kara Vickery,
Keaton Crawford and
Jaclyn Landers make up the western newcomers. "This is a very talented group that we signed this fall," said Gwin.
"They excel in both the ring and in the classroom and I believe they will add depth to the equestrian program and represent SMU well."
ACADEMIC SUCCESS: Last season, 14 members of the SMU equestrian team earned NCEA academic honors. Six riders earned spots on the Beval Saddlery Academic All-America team, while 13 were named to the La Hacienda Academic Honor Roll.
Schaefer Raposa,
Sylvia de Toledo and
Keagan Snively achieved first-team status, which is awarded to student-athletes who competed in a minimum of 70 percent of meets during the 2015-16 season, and earned a cumulative 3.5 GPA while maintaining full-time enrollment in the 2015 spring and fall semesters. de Toledo achieved a team-high 3.97 GPA, Raposa boasted a 3.70 and Snively maintained a 3.54.
2015-16 SEASON RECAP: The Mustangs posted a 7-10 record and finished tied for first (4-2) in the United Equestrian Conference. SMU advanced to the NCEA National Championship quarterfinals after a 10-6 upset over the defending-champion and No. 7 seed South Carolina. During the regular season, SMU topped three ranked-opponents: No. 6 South Carolina, No. 7 Fresno State and No. 3 Texas A&M. SMU was ranked as high as No. 6, and spent 10 of 13 weeks in the polls.
UP NEXT: The SMU equestrian team will return to action in 2017, hosting Texas A&M, Sat., Feb. 4. It is slated for 10 a.m.
A full recap and final results will be made available following the competition on SMUMustangs.com. During the meet, live results can be found on SMUMustangs.com or the SMU equestrian twitter page. Fans are encouraged to follow @SMUEquestrian.
