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The second-ranked SMU equestrian team opens its spring by hosting South Carolina Saturday at the Dallas Equestrian Center. Action is slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. CT.
 
QUICK HITS:

• No. 2 is highest ranking in program history
• 5-0 is the best start in program history
• Five straight wins sets a program record for consecutive wins
• SMU is the only team outside of the SEC or BIG 12 to be ranked in the top 3
• The hunt seat side is undefeated (5-0; Fences: 3-0-2; Flat: 4-0-1)  

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS: The Mustangs return to action with their best start in program history, a 5-0 mark. SMU rounded out the fall with a pair of wins on the road against conference opponents to claim the 2017 Masterson Farms Invitational championship. At the invitational, SMU defeated Delaware State 8-7 on day one, before an 8-7 victory against No. 10 UT Martin to claim the title. SMU hunt seat riders have tallied 27 points, while allowing just 16. SMU was selected No. 1 in the hunt seat disciplines, fifth in reining and eighth in horsemanship by the NCEA Selection Committee in the first NCEA event rankings. The Mustangs have 13 new faces on the squad, all bringing impressive accolades under their belts. SMU also returns 20 members from 2016 team, including two 2016-17 NCEA All-America honorees Vivian Yowan and Keagan Snively. SMU also brings back 2015-16 NCEA All-America Nora Gray.
 
LAST TIME OUT: (W, 8-7 at SMU) MARTIN, Tenn. (SMU) – The No. 4 SMU equestrian team captured the 2017 Masterson's Farm Invitational championship, defeating No. 10 UT Martin, 8-7, Friday at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Pavilion. With the win, the Mustangs concluded the fall season with a program-best 5-0 overall record. The day opened with Equitation over Fences, where Nora Gray and Yowan each rode to wins. Gray topped Lindsay Anderson, 83-74, before Yowan defeated LaChance, 68-65. In Equitation on the Flat, the Mustangs posted a 2-1 discipline win. Vivian Yowan won her second ride by way of a 92-85 victory over Randi LaChance. Haley Zimmerman tallied the second point, an 80-73 decision over Monika Zoromski. In the Western arena, SMU posted a 3-1 win in Horsemanship. Ashley Mauney opened the discipline with a 72.5-72 win, before Kara Vickery used an MOP-winning 73.5 to best Lucy Eier's 72. Michaela Dinger secured the discipline win with a 71-66.5 triumph of Jade Bleskey. In Reining, Holly Lansidel finished the weekend undefeated with a 69-68.5 win against Lianna Nowak. SMU kicks off the spring season on February 16 at the Fresno Invitational. SMU will compete against Oklahoma State in the opening round.

SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA: The Gamecocks have a 1-4 overall record, with a 0-3 record in the Southeastern Conference. Through five meets, Lauren Fabiano (Equitation Over Fences) remains undefeated with 5-0 records thus far. Lauren Fabiano was named the November SEC Rider of the Month for Equitation Over Fences, the league office announced today. Fabiano posted a 2-0 record and earned her third MOP honor of the season in the month. Fabiano is the second Gamecock to be named an SEC Rider of the Month after Paisley Roberts was named SEC Rider of the Month for Reining in September.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE GAMECOCKS: SMU is 3-7 all-time against the Gamecocks. The two sides met once last season, with South Carolina picking up the win. USC downed SMU 14-5 in Columbia, S.C., on March 4.

UP NEXT: SMU heads to Fresno, Calif., for the Fresno Invitational. SMU will take on host-school and conference-foe Fresno State on Feb. 16, before taking on Oklahoma State the following day. Both meets are slated for 10 a.m. CT.
 
SMU MATCHES HIGHEST RANKING IN PROGRAM HISTORY: After winning the 2017 Masterson Farms Invitational, SMU earned its highest ranking in program history of No. 2 in the latest National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) Farnam Poll. The undefeated start marks the best start to a season (5-0) in program history, set the program record in consecutive wins and makes the Mustangs the first team outside of the SEC or Big 12 conferences to earn a spot in the top three.

NCEA EVENT RANKINGS: SMU NO. 1 IN BOTH HUNT SEAT DISCIPLINES (JAN. 16 SELECTION): SMU was selected No. 1 in the hunt seat disciplines by the NCEA Selection Committee in the first NCEA event rankings.The Mustangs are fifth in reining and eighth in horsemanship. The NCEA approved a change to the National Championship format which includes four Event titles. The Event titles will be determined through a head-to-head bracket format in each of the four events that comprise a head-to-head in-season meet.  The Event rankings are determined by the NCEA Selection Committee and are released to the National Championship.  The final set of rankings will be used to seed teams for the Event title competitions in Waco, TX. Event rankings are determined at each head-to-head competition based on a variety of data points (Win/Loss; Home/Away; Current Rank of Opponent).  The Event rankings may differ from the NCEA Team Rankings that are released every week throughout the season, as they are based solely on the results from the single event in the head-to-head meet.  Event Rankings are scheduled to be released on January 16, 2018, February 15, 2018, March 15, 2018 and the final seeding will be announced in April with the final team rankings.
 

Flat	Fences	Horsemanship	Reining
1. SMU 2. Auburn 3. Texas A&M 4. Fresno St. 5. Delaware St. 6. Georgia 7. Oklahoma St. 8. UT-Martin 9. South Dakota St. 10. South Carolina	1. SMU 2. Georgia 3. Texas A&M 4. Auburn 5. Oklahoma St. 6. Fresno St. 7. UT-Martin 8. South Dakota St. 9. South Carolina 10. TCU	1. Georgia 2. South Dakota St. 3. Texas A&M 4. Oklahoma St. 5. Auburn 6. Baylor 7. Fresno St. 8. SMU 9. TCU 10. UT-Martin	1. Georgia 2. Auburn 3. Oklahoma St. 4. UT-Martin 5. SMU 6. Fresno St. 7. Texas A&M 8. TCU 9. Baylor 10. South Dakota St.

GRAY NAMED NOVEMBER UEC OVER FENCES RIDER OF THE MONTH: Junior Nora Gray was named the United Equestrian Conference (UEC) November Equitation Over Fences Rider of the Month. During the month of November, Gray posted a 2-0 record in Equitation Over Fences, helping SMU win a pair of conference meets against Delaware State and then-No. 10 UT Martin at the 2017 Masterson's Farm Invitational. The Owen Sound, Ontario, native opened the tournament with an easy 82-60 win against DSU's Sydney Wicklund, before knocking off UTM's Lindsay Anderson, 83-74.
 
JACKSON NAMED NCEA DECEMBER STANDOUT STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE MONTH: Anne Mason Jackson of the SMU equestrian team has been named Standout Student-Athlete of the Month by the National Collegiate Equestrian Association for December. The award highlights accomplishments of student-athletes outside of the ring, including philanthropy, outstanding attitude and embodiment of an ideal teammate.
 
2017 ACCOLADES:
Anne Mason Jackson – NCEA Standout Student-Athlete of the Month (December) – 1/12/2018
Nora Gray – UEC Rider of the Month (November) – 12/7/2017
Alexandra Murphy – UEC Rider of the Month (September) – 10/12/2017
 
SMU MOPs:
Alexandra Murphy – Fences (86-81 vs. TCU)
Kara Vickery – Horsemanship (75-73 vs. TCU)
Vivian Yowan – Flat (86-70 vs. Baylor)
 
NCEA CHAMPIONSHIP CHANGES: The following NCEA event titles and team championships will be held in Waco, Texas on April 18-21, 2018.

1. National championship event titles will now be awarded in four separate events conducted at the national championship: 4 riders in each event
   1. NCEA Equitation over Fences
   2. NCEA Equitation on the Flat
   3. NCEA Horsemanship
   4. NCEA Reining
2. National championship discipline titles will now be awarded for two separate disciplines based on the points assigned to teams during the event competitions at the national championship
   1. NCEA Hunter Seat
   2. NCEA Western
3. National Team Championship will be awarded based on combined discipline team head-to-head bracket competition at the national championship. (4 riders in each event)
4. Schools may qualify teams for each of the event titles – schools do not need to enter teams in both disciplines. Schools with single discipline teams are now eligible for NCEA national titles.
5. All competitive opportunities will be organized in the bracket head-to-head format (event titles and team title).
6. Seeding for the event title competitions will be based on regular season NCEA competitions for the four different events (fences, flat, horsemanship, reining). To be eligible for seeding for any NCEA national championship title, teams are required to compete in a minimum of three head-to-head competitions.

ALL-AMERICAN CORNER: SMU returns two of its NCEA All-American's from the 2016-17 season in Vivian Yowan and Keagan Snively.
 
Yowan, an NCEA All-American Over Fences Second Team selection, posted a team-best 19-7-2 record, with an 11-3 mark over fences and 8-4-2 on the flat. The Darien, Conn., native was named the United Equestrian Conference (UEC) Equitation on the Flat Rider of the Year after posting a 7-3-1 record in the regular-season. Yowan also earned the Equitation Over Fences Freshman of the Year honor, following an 8-3 regular-season record which included four MOPs.
 
Following a 10-3 record and five MOPs, Snively was named to the NCEA Reining second team, and became the first western rider in program history to earn All-America status. The Winter Haven, Fla., posted an 8-3 mark, with four MOPs in the regular season, before back-to-back wins at the UEC Championship earned her the UEC Championship Reining MOP.
 
PLAYING HOST: For the first time in program history, the SMU equestrian team will host the United Equestrian Conference tournament. The championship event will take place at SMU's home, the Dallas Equestrian Center, on March 30 and 31.
 
2016-17 RECAP: Last season, SMU posted a 7-7 overall record and finished atop the United Equestrian Conference for the second straight season with a 4-1 mark. After finishing tied for first in the regular season, the Ponies earning runner-up honors at the UEC Championship. After wins at then-No. 3 TCU and against then-No. 9 Oklahoma State to open the season, SMU earned its highest ranking in program history being ranked No. 4 in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) poll.
 
COACHING CORNER: Head coach Carol Gwin enters her fourth season as the head coach of the equestrian program. Gwin guided the Mustangs to a 7-7 overall record in 2016-17 and led the Mustangs to the top of the UEC for the second straight year with a 4-1 conference mark. The Mustangs finished the regular-season tied for first, before earning runner-up honors at the UEC Championship. After wins at then-No. 3 TCU and against then-No. 9 Oklahoma State to open the season, SMU earned its highest ranking in program history being ranked No. 4 in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) poll. In 2016-17, Gwin was named the United Equestrian Conference Co-Coach of the Year, and boasted four NCEA All-America honorees, including two second-team nods. The hunt seat program finished the season with a 9-3-2 combined record and outscored opponents 77-47. The western team finished with a 5-7-2 combined record, with a 7-6-1 record in horsemanship. SMU riders won 25 Most Outstanding Player awards.