DALLAS (SMU) – The No. 7-ranked SMU equestrian team will open the season Friday at No. 3 TCU at Turning Point Ranch. The competition is slated to begin at 10:00 a.m. in Springtown, Texas.
ABOUT SMU: Last season, 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.
SMU HUNT SEAT: With the loss of
Alex Butterworth and
Schaefer Raposa, the hunt seat program will rely heavily on
Nora Gray and
Sylvia de Toledo during the season. Gray wrapped up the 2015-16 campaign with a team-high 23 wins combined between the two hunt seat disciplines en route to an Equitation Over Fences All-America Honorable Mention award and the United Equestrian Conference (UEC) Equitation on the Flat and Equitation over Fences Freshman of the Year awards.
de Toledo recorded 20 combined wins last season, 10 in each discipline, to eclipse her previous season-high of 17. The 20 wins earned her All-America Honorable Mention awards in both Equitation Over Fences and Equitation on the Flat. She was also named to the All-UEC Equitation on the Flat and All-UEC Equitation Over Fences teams last season.
Also returning for SMU are seniors
Julia Fowler and
Leina King. Fowler won three events last season, two over fences and one on the flat. King competed solely on the flat, winning two events and an MOP honor against South Dakota State.
In hunt seat, SMU posted a 9-5-3 overall record, outscoring opponents 88-66. The Mustangs finished 10-3-4 in equitation over fences, outscoring opponents 45-27. In equitation on the flat, SMU finished 7-7-3.
SMU WESTERN:
Jaclyn White and
Madison Steed look to continue their success in the arena after leading the Mustangs in 2015-16 with nine wins apiece. White was named the NCEA and UEC Reining Rider of the Month for March, after posting a 4-1 record with notable wins over then-No. 3 Texas A&M and then-No. 9 South Carolina. At the UEC Championship, White was named the tournament reining MOP after recording two victories.
Steed was named the UEC Freshman reining Rider of the Year, after posting a 9-7-1 mark with one MOP.
Michaela Dinger also returns after an 8-7 freshman season. Dinger went 4-1 during the month of March, earning her UEC horsemanship Rider of the Month.
Other key returners for the Mustangs are
Keagan Snively,
Morgan Redwine and
Hannah McCain. Snively was the first reiner in SMU history to earn a Rider of the Month award, being named the UEC Reiner of the Month in November. She won eight events with two MOP honors. Redwine and McCain tallied seven wins apiece, with McCain bringing home three MOPs in horsemanship.
The western team finished with a 6-9-2 record, claiming wins over No. 6 South Carolina, No. 2 Auburn and a 5-5 tie at No. 3 Texas A&M.
WELCOME TO SMU: SMU Equestrian head coach
Carol Gwin signed eight riders this off-season, 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."
SCOUTING TCU: The Horned Frogs are 1-0 after a 10-9 season-opening victory over Texas Tech. The Horned Frogs went 9-9 last season and made program history a year ago by becoming the lowest seeded team to ever advance to the championship round at nationals. TCU opens the season ranked No. 3 in the NCEA national team rankings. The No. 3 ranking is the highest preseason ranking in school history and tops all Big 12 Conference schools in the poll. The Horned Frogs closed last spring ranked No. 2 in the NCEA. The Frogs are 16-5 overall during the regular-season in Springtown since 2012-13. TCU welcomes back 26 returners, and several 2016 NCEA All-America honorees, including first-team recipients Molly Peddicord and Megan McMullen. Junior Jayme Omand also returns after picking up Honorable-Mention All-America status a year ago. One other notable returnee includes Kari Hancock, who was named a 2015 NCEA First-Team All-American.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE HORNED FROGS: TCU holds a 6-5 edge over the Mustangs all-time. The Horned Frogs edged the Mustangs, 10-9 in Dallas last season. The last SMU victory was in 2014, an 11-9 decision in Dallas.
SMU CAREER WINS LEADERS: Senior
Sylvia de Toledo is tied with former teammate
Schaefer Raposa for the most career wins in program history.
HOME SWEET HOME: The SMU equestrian team will have a new home starting the 2016 season, as the Dallas Equestrian Center (DEC) will serve as its official stables and training facility. 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 that are currently in construction, 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.
ALL-AMERICAN HUNTERS RETURN: Senior
Sylvia de Toledo and sophomore
Nora Gray return to the 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.
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.
UP NEXT: The Mustangs will host their first meet at Dallas Equestrian Center, as Oklahoma State comes to town Saturday, Oct. 15. Last season, SMU fell to the Cowgirls, 13-6. In nine meetings all-time, Oklahoma State leads the series 8-1.
A full recap and final results will be made available following Friday's competition on SMUMustangs.com. During the meet, live results can be found on the official SMU equestrian twitter page. Fans are encouraged to follow @SMUEquestrian.
--SMUMustangs.com--
