Senior Spotlight - Nora Gray    |    Senior Spotlight - Madison Steed

WACO, Texas (SMU) – Senior team captains Nora Gray and Madison Steed were named NCEA Rider of the Year, the NCEA announced Thursday.

    Gray clinched the honor in Equitation Over Fences and Steed earned the award in Reining.

    The pair were victorious in their events and exhibited exceptional leadership and work ethic on the Mustangs' roster, while also remaining dedicated to serving their community and school.

    The Canada natives each propelled SMU to an unprecedented season of glory that saw the Mustangs successfully defend their 2018 UEC Championship, earning a back-to-back tournament trophy in 2019 and rising up as the first team to win the UEC twice and the only team to take home the championship while not being the host school.
    Gray went 4-0 winning all of her rides on the flat and over fences, even earning an MOP on the flat. Steed posted an undefeated 2-0 mark in Reining at UECs and earned MOP in last year's league tournament.

    The season culminated in a deep run in the NCEA National Championship, where the Mustangs surged forth to the Semifinals on the flat, over fences and in the reining arena.

     In the NCEA Event Championships, Reining competed on Championship Saturday in the Finals vs. SEC foe Georgia. Ultimately, SMU finished the season as the NCEA National Champion Runner Ups in the event, returning to the Hilltop with their heads held high.

    Gray went 4-0 over fences and notched another two wins on the flat at Extraco Events Center in Waco.
She created a legacy, accumulating the most wins in school history, surpassing the previous record of 70 and finishing her senior campaign with a whopping 85 wins.

    As a senior, Steed also sealed away legend status by making history as the first SMU rider to embrace Most Outstanding Rider honors in reining, out of all the schools at the NCEA Championship.



    Additionally, Steed was crowned with All-Championship Tournament Team laurels, after winning four of her five rides at Nationals. She notably won the Collegiate Reining Championship at the 2018 NRHA Collegiate Reining Derby the summer of her senior year, the first Mustang to triumph there and win it all in OKC.

    In 2018-19 action, Gray put together a remarkable 15-2 record over fences and contributed an 8-7-2 mark on the flat, tallying four MOPs in total as a senior.

    Steed went 12-5 in reining, and was the sole Mustangs rider to earn MOP in then-No.3 SMU's highly contested meet vs. No. 1 Auburn, besting her opponent Terri-June Granger 73-72.5.

    Gray came in clutch with NCEA Ariat All-American first team recognition over fences this year. Gray was named UEC Rider of the Year over Fences, and Gray (Fences) and Steed (Reining) were all-conference honorees, as well.

    Both seniors earned a spot on the 1st Team All-UEC Academic squad and NCEA Farnam All-Academic - 1st Team. Gray won SMU's most prestigious Pony Award, the Athletic Director's Spirit Award recently, and was named to the to Fall University Academic Honor Roll earlier in the season.

    She garnered three UEC Rider of the Weeks and two UEC Rider of the Months (February & March).

    Since their collegiate debut, the two have represented the Mustangs magnificently, and best of all, they've done so together.

    At their first meet against TCU on Sept. 24, 2015, Gray won both her events (on the flat and over fences) and Steed won her first collegiate competition facing the Horned Frogs, too.

    Gray was UEC Freshman of the Year in both equitation over fences and on the flat, and Steed was UEC Freshman of the Year in Reining.

    Gray's previous honors include Ariat NCEA Equitation Over Fences Honorable Mention honors, Farnam NCEA All-Academic First-Team accolades and APHA NCEA Academic Honor Roll acknowledgement her junior year. Sophomore year she earned All-UEC Equitation Over Fences, in addition to being named to the American Quarter Horse Association Academic All-America First-Team.

    Contributing a wealth of achievements to the program, the aspiring professional equestrian went 4-0 at the UEC Championship with all margins of victory at least 10 or more in 2016-17.

    Gray notched three MOPs as a junior and four as a sophomore and Steed earned an MOP her freshman and sophomore seasons, too.

    As a freshman, Gray set the SMU single-season and freshman wins records after going 23-10-1 in 34 events. She won NCEA All-American Honorable Mention over fences, and went 3-for-4 at the NCEA National Championships, winning both flat events, too.

    Steed's previous honors include acceptance into the Farnam NCEA All-Academic First-Team and APHA NCEA Academic Honor Roll her junior year and AQHA NCEA Academic All-America Second-Team honors as a sophomore.
 
    Steed clinched Beval Saddlery Academic All-America Second-Team status and was a member of the La Hacienda Academic Honor Roll as a freshman at SMU.

    Steed and Gray have risen to the challenge repeatedly and emerge into the world as well-rounded riders and accomplished women.


NCEA Riders of the Year
Equitation Over Fences: Nora Gray, SMU and McKayla Langmeier, AU
Equitation On The Flat: Taylor St. Jacques, Auburn
Horsemanship: Taylor Searles, Auburn
Reining: Madison Steed, SMU and Graysen Stroud, Georgia
 
GGT Footing NCEA Coach of the Year
Greg Williams, Auburn
 
Rocky Mountain Flower Aviation NCEA Team Sportsmanship Award
Sweet Briar College