FINAL BOX      |     SEASON SCORE SHEETS 2018-19

DALLAS (SMU) — Led by a 3-1 victory in the Reining arena, the No. 3 SMU Mustangs competed until the end, before ultimately falling to No. 1 Auburn, 10-8 (1550.0-1524.0), in Dallas, Texas.

    An audience, about 250 people strong, came to the Dallas Equestrian Center to celebrate the legacies of SMU's nine senior leaders and watch the top collegiate competitors in the NCEA go head to head on Senior Day in an exhilarating meet that was decided in the final event.

    Senior team captain Madison Steed represented the Mustangs on the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) podium in Reining, after earning the event-high score and outscoring her Auburn opponent, Terri-June Granger, 73-72.5, on Moe.

    The day began crisp and cold, but started to drizzle light rain about halfway through the meet. While on the Western side, the SMU Horsemanship girls matched Auburn with a 2-2 tie, SMU earned one point to the Tigers' four over fences and added two Hunter Seat points to SMU's scoring efforts, going 3-2 on the flat.

    A tight field, Equitation Over Fences was extremely competitive. Although, freshman Devin Seek emerged victorious as the lone Mustang point in the event, riders for the Red & Blue posted multiple 80 + point scores. Seek defeated Auburn's Ashton Alexander, 86-83 on Bond, as Alexandra Murphy also won her exhibition ride. 83-82, facing Tiger foe Meghan Knapic on Parker.

    In Horsemanship, senior Michaela Dinger, riding Shirley, earned a 72-71.5 victory over Kara Kaufmann, while freshman Mallory Vroegh defeated Deanna Green on Desi, 73.5-72.5. Senior Haylee Schoonover helped hold off the Tigers with her 72.5 tie with Taylor Searles on Ray. Senior Jaclyn Landers also clinched a conquest in her exhibition ride against Auburn's Emma Brown, riding Decker to a 73.5-69.5 win.
    
    SMU focused in on the flat, with junior Vivian Yowan and senior team captain Nora Gray claiming points for the Mustangs on Clover and Alaina, respectively. Gray posted an 83-79 win over Auburn adversary Hayley Iannotti, while Yowan defeated Tiger opponent, Emma Kurtz, with an 84-74 triumph.

    Going into the last event, the score was 9-5.

    It all came down to reining. Each point announcement was heavily anticipated, as the Mustangs' captivated cheers filled the air. Rain was falling as the Mustangs were gaining momentum, swiftly closing the gap, and threatening to destroy Auburn's undefeated status. With style and precision, the Mustangs' Reining squad earned a team-high sixth event win on the season. However, in the end, following the Ponies' poised and energetic 3-1 performance, SMU trailed the Tigers by two in the neck-and-neck thriller.

    Sophomore Jill Pfisthner help propel the Mustangs' to the event win, by striking first and defeating Betsy Brown 71.5-68.5 on Stewie, while Steed and junior Holly Lansidel also put points on the board for SMU (both rising to a 6-3 record in their event). Steed defeated Terri-June Granger 73-72.5 on Moe, as Lansidel, riding Mercedes earned a 71.5-70.5 win over Deanna Green. Additionally, Savannah Ostner, with a score of 70, notched a tie with Auburn's Ali Fratessa on Carlee.

    Right on the verge of serving the Tigers their first loss of the 2018-19 season, the Mustangs have come the closest out of any team in the NCEA this season to earn a win over undefeated Auburn, by only allowing a two-point lead. Every other team that has faced Auburn has accumulated anywhere from a 4 to 20 point deficit against the reigning NCEA National Champions, who on average (in meets this season) have held opponents to a 10.33 point loss.

    SMU moves to a 7-3 (3-0 UEC) mark, with two of their losses being decided by a mere two points by Top Two teams (Texas A&M and Auburn).

    Up next, the No. 3 Mustangs look to rebound on the road. SMU Equestrian will compete next Saturday (March 9) at 10 a.m. in the Metroplex against No. 8 TCU. The meet, which will be the Mustangs' final tuneup before UEC Championships and NCEA Nationals will be held in Springtown, Texas, at Turning Point Ranch.
 
HILLTOP HIGHLIGHTS
Seek is undefeated on the flat (1-0) and rises to a near perfect 6-1-1 record over fences, while Yowan remains undefeated on the flat this season, as well, owning an impressive 9-0-1 record on the flat and tallying a 7-3 mark over fences. Gray, too, has earned a significant number of Hunter Seat points for the Red & Blue this season, notching an 8-2 record over fences and going 4-4-2 on the flat in 2018-19, so far. She also earned recognition recently for becoming the winningest rider in program history, by virtue of her 74 career wins.

Steed and Lansidel have eclipsed their opponents, 6-3, on the season in reining, as Vroegh improves to an impressive 7-3 in Horsemanship. Schoonover (Horsemanship), Aubrey Alderman (Reining), Ostner (Reining) and Mary Elizabeth Cordia (Flat) have clinched five wins for the Mustangs in meets this season.

EVENT RECORD 2018-19
Horsemanship: 3-4-3
Reining: 6-3-1
[Western: 9-7-4]

Equitation on the Flat: 3-6-1
Equitation Over Fences: 5-3-2
[Hunter Seat: 8-9-3]