FLAT | FENCES | HSHIP | REINING | TEAM BRACKET

WACO, Texas (SMU)- The Mustangs will first face the No. 4-seed Oklahoma State Cowgirls in the team's pursuit of a National Championship, the NCEA announced Tuesday. 

   In the released brackets, SMU is seeded fifth for the team competition. From April 17-20 at the Extraco Center in Waco, Texas, riders from SMU will vie for four event titles, two discipline titles and a head-to-head championship.

    The Mustangs are coming off a two-meet win streak after clinching the conference championship, triumphing as the only team in UEC history to win the conference tournament twice, back-to-back no less. In the individual event competitions, SMU will battle more league adversaries. The Mustangs maintain a 5-0 record in UEC action.

    Going for event glory, the Mustangs will have a different opponent for each matchup. On the flat, No. 4-seed SMU faces thirteenth-seed Delaware State, as the third-seed Mustangs' fences squad is set to ride against No. 14-seed UT Martin. As the No. 4-seed in Reining, SMU Equestrian goes against thirteenth-seed South Dakota State. Fourth-seed SMU takes on No. 13-seed UC Davis in Horsemanship, too.

    In 2018-19 meets, the Mustangs have competed against every team that they will face in the first round of the tournament this year, with the exception of South Dakota State. Hoping to bring another championship to the Hilltop, SMU readies for the fierce clash.

NCEA CHAMPIONSHIP LAYOUT

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.

EVENT RECORD 2018-19
Horsemanship: 5-4-3
Reining: 7-4-1
[Western: 12-8-4]

Equitation on the Flat: 6-5-2
Equitation Over Fences: 8-3-2
[Hunter Seat: 14-8-4]

HILLTOP HIGHLIGHTS
Mallory Vroegh (Horsemanship) and Madison Steed (Reining) are 8-4, while Savanah Ostner is 7-4-1 and Aubrey Alderman and Holly Lansidel maintain a strong 7-5 in Reining.

Devin Seek owns a 7-2-1 record over fences, while Vivian Yowan has put together an impressive 11-1-1 record on the flat and earned a 9-4 mark over fences. Nora Gray, too, has earned a significant number of Hunter Seat points for the Red & Blue this season, notching an 11-2 record over fences and going 6-5-2 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 79 career wins. 
Ashley Mauney and Haylee Schoonover have six wins in Horsemanship. Kirsten Ostling and Haley Zimmerman have eached clinched five wins on the flat for the Mustangs in meets this season.

MOP MAGIC 
SMU riders have represented the team in Most Outstanding Player selections in every meet this season, with the Red & Blue receiving a total of 35 MOPs together (including exhibition meets). The Mustangs have had multiple MOP award winners in all but three meets. Mustangs earned four MOPs against conference opponents Fresno State, DSU and UC Davis, and in the UEC Championship, three over metroplex rival TCU, two facing South Carolina, Texas A&M, OSU, and at the TCU-spring meet, and one each in meets versus Georgia, Sweet Briar College and Auburn.

Vivian Yowan has earned five MOPs while Holly Lansidel and Nora Gray have four apiece. Ashley Mauney has three while Aubrey Alderman, Mallory Vroegh, Kirsten Ostling, Haley Zimmerman and Devin Seek each have a pair of MOP honors.

Yowan is second in school history for All-Time MOPs with a total of 13 during her collegiate career.

MOP HONORS THIS SEASON
Madison Steed (Auburn) - 1
Kirsten Ostling (OSU & UC Davis) – 2
Megan Waldron (DSU) – 1
Aubrey Alderman (DSU & UEC Championship) - 2
Mallory Vroegh (TCU & UEC Championship)- 1
Mary Elizabeth Cordia (TCU)-1
Holly Lansidel (Fresno State & Texas A&M & OSU & UC Davis) – 4
Vivian Yowan (Fresno State & TCU & DSU & UC Davis & UEC Championship) - 5
Kelsie Brittan (Fresno State) - 1
Ashley Mauney (Fresno State & Georgia & UC Davis) - 3
Haylee Schoonover (South Carolina) - 1
Nora Gray (South Carolina & Texas A&M & TCU-spring & UEC Championship) - 4
Elle Young (Lynchburg scrimmage) – 1
Olivia Woodson (Lynchburg scrimmage) – 1
Haley Zimmerman (Sweet Briar College & TCU-spring) -2
Brecken Schaefer (Baylor exhibition) – 1
Devin Seek (Baylor exhibition & DSU) – 2
Tali DeJong (Baylor exhibition) - 1

NCEA NODS
Holly Lansidel, NCEA Rider of the Month - Reining (February)
Dillon, NCEA Horse of the Month (January)


AWARDS PRESENTED AT UEC CHAMPIONSHIP
Ashley Mauney, Haylee Schoonover, All-UEC Horsemanship
Holly Lansidel, Madison Steed, All-UEC Reining
Nora Gray, Devin Seek, Vivian Yowan, All-UEC Fences
Vivian Yowan, All-UEC Flat
Devin Seek, UEC Freshman of the Year: Equitation Over Fences
Nora Gray, UEC Rider of the Year: Equitation Over Fences
Vivian Yowan, UEC Rider of the Year: Equitation on the Flat
Carol Gwin, UEC Coach of the Year
 
CONFERENCE HONORS THIS SEASON
Holly Lansidel, Reining UEC Rider of the Month - February
Kirsten Ostling, Equitation on the Flat UEC Rider of the Month - February 
Nora Gray, Equitation Over Fences UEC Rider of the Month - February
Nora Gray, Ashley Mauney, Haley Zimmerman, UEC Riders of the Week, Week Fourteen
Michaela Dinger, Kirsten Ostling, UEC Riders of the Week, Week Eleven
Nora Gray, Holly Lansidel, UEC Riders of the Week, Week Nine
Megan Waldron, Devin Seek, Vivian Yowan, UEC Riders of the Week, Week Seven
Mary Elizabeth Cordia, Equitation on the Flat UEC Rider of the Week, Week Six
Vivian Yowan, Equitation on the Flat UEC Rider of the Month - October
Aubrey Alderman, Reining UEC Rider of the Month - October
Kelsie Brittan, Vivian Yowan, Jill Pfisthner UEC Riders of the Week, Week Four
Aubrey Alderman, Ashley Mauney, Vivian Yowan –UEC Riders of the Week, Week Three
Nora Gray, Haley Zimmerman, Savannah Ostner, Haylee Schoonover – UEC Riders of the Week, Week One