WACO, Texas (SMU) – After each having an excellent season, three Hunter Seat riders from SMU won Ariat All-American honors, the NCEA announced Wednesday.

    Vivian Yowan rose to first team All-American prominence on the flat, while team captain Nora Gray captured a first team All-American award over fences and Devin Seek was named to the fences All-American Honorable Mention team after a stellar freshman debut.

    The first team All-American squad is made up of only four riders for each event. This season marks the first time in program history that SMU has had two riders selected as first team All-Americans. This is also the first time that the Mustangs have had a first team All-American in Equitation on the Flat.  

    Gray, Yowan and Seek have put together strong performances in each of the Mustangs' 2018-19 meets. Recently, the Mustangs became the first team to win a UEC Championship twice, the first team to win back-to-back titles in the conference and the only team to dethrone the host school at the league's showcase.

    The trio has a host of UEC and academic accolades, too. Yowan and Gray garnered MOP honors in the 2019 UEC Championship Final, while all three were named All-UEC over fences. Seek earned Equitation Over Fences Freshman of the Year, while Gray and Yowan earned Rider of the Year over fences and on the flat, respectively. Yowan was also All-UEC on the flat.
 

    In 2018-19, the Darien, Connecticut, native's record on the flat was 11-1-1. The two-event athlete also owns a well-rounded 9-4 mark over fences. This season alone, she earned five MOPs, including three MOPs in consecutive meets. She is second in school history for All-Time MOPs, with a total of 13 MOP honors throughout her collegiate career.

    Yowan has won UEC Rider of the Week three times, one UEC Equitation on the Flat Rider of the Month award in October, earned UEC Academic second team and one Double Tree Rider of the Week, across all of SMU Athletics, to wrap up her stunning fall and spring slate.

    Gray accomplished impressive success, as well, going 11-2 over fences and 6-5-2 on the flat for her senior campaign. She has also tallied four MOPs on the season and is tied for third on the SMU leaderboard for All-Time MOPs. Her extraordinary achievements include three UEC Rider of the Week awards and a UEC Equitation Over Fences Rider of the Month for February. Gray broke the record for most wins in school history with 79, soaring to the top of SMU's All-Time Wins list and eclipsing the previous program record of 70.
 

    The Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, native went 4-0 in UEC competition, winning her rides on the flat and over fences both in the Semifinal and Final rounds. She is also a first team Academic All-American, named to the SMU Fall University Academic Honor Roll and UEC Academic first team honoree.

    Yowan and Gray have been recognized as All-Americans in the past. Gray embraced the first team Academic All-American crown for the past three years, while Yowan clinched first team Academic All-America prestige last season. Yowan has been named an All-American Over Fences (second team), and Gray has appeared as an All-American Over Fences (Honorable Mention).

    In her dynamic debut, Seek conquered her spot with a 7-2-1 record over fences (not including exh.). In her first competition, she won MOP at the SMU vs. Baylor annual preseason exhibition in September. She repeated an MOP performance at DSU. The Ocala, Florida, product earned Equitation Over Fences UEC Rider of the Week, Week Seven and emerged as Champion at the National Horse Show (small junior 16-17) during this year's action.
 

    The three are poised to represent the Mustangs, April 17-20 at the Extraco Events Center.

    SMU will battle against Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCEA tournament. The Mustangs will also face four different teams for separate event titles (in addition to two discipline trophies and an overall team championship) as they go head-to-head with the top teams in collegiate equestrian at the NCEA National Championship, in Waco, Texas.

2019 ARIAT ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
 
Equitation on the Flat
 
First Team
Taylor St. Jacques, Auburn
McKayla Langmeier, Auburn
Vivian Yowan, SMU
Grace Thiel, Baylor
 
Second Team
Rachael Davis, Baylor
Ashton Alexander, Auburn
Hayley Iannotti, Auburn
Rebekah Chenelle, Texas A&M
 
Honorable Mention
Caitlin Boyle, Auburn
Maddy Darst, Georgia
Madison Day, Baylor
Emma Kurtz, Auburn
Grady Lyman, South Carolina
 
Equitation over Fences
 
First Team
McKayla Langmeier, Auburn
Izzy Baxter, TCU
Caitlin Boyle, Auburn
Nora Gray, SMU
 
Second Team
Hayley Iannotti, Auburn
Emma Kurtz, Auburn
Maddy Darst, Georgia
Rebekah Chenelle, Texas A&M
 
Honorable Mention
Ashton Alexander, Auburn
Madison Day, Baylor
Claire Garduno, South Dakota State
Haley Redifer, Texas A&M
Devin Seek, SMU
Taylor St. Jacques, Auburn
 
Horsemanship
 
First Team
Sarah Orsak, Texas A&M
Lauren Diaz, Auburn
Taylor Searles, Auburn
Alex Albright, Texas A&M
 
Second Team
Kelsey Jung, Auburn
Harley Huff, Oklahoma State
Sarah Miller, Oklahoma State
Deanna Green, Auburn
 
Honorable Mention
Cydney Benes, TCU
Nicole Campbell, Fresno State
Ashley Davidson, Texas A&M
Brooklyn Moch, Fresno State
Emma Verplank, Oklahoma State
 
Reining
 
First Team
Sydney Scheckel, Baylor
Noel Meadows, UTM
Graysen Stroud, Georgia
Claire Dittrich, TCU
 
Second Team
Ali Fratessa, Auburn
Elena Hurd, TCU
Hannah Mitchell, Oklahoma State
Jordan Carpenter, Georgia
 
Honorable Mention
Deanna Green, Auburn
Stephanie Helsen, Oklahoma State
Carly Lombard, TCU
Blair McFarlin, Auburn