No. 7 SMU at No. 8 UC Davis
UC Davis Training Center – Davis, Calif.
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021 – 1 p.m. CT
Live Stats

No. 7 SMU vs. No. 1 Oklahoma State
Student Horse Center – Fresno, Calif.
Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 – TBD (Flat and Horsemanship)
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021 – 12 p.m. CT (Fences and Reining)
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No. 7 SMU vs. No. 6 Fresno State
Student Horse Center – Fresno, Calif.
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021 – After completion of Fences and Reining vs. Oklahoma State
Live Stats | Watch

No. 7 SMU heads west for its final road trip of the fall season to take on No. 8 UC Davis on Thursday before traveling to No. 6 Fresno State, where the Mustangs will also face No. 1 Oklahoma State in a neutral site competition over two days.

SERIES HISTORY
SMU and UC Davis have only faced off once in program history when the Mustangs earned a 13-3 win over the Aggies on February 22, 2019 in Dallas. When competing against Oklahoma State, SMU is 4-11 with the latest contest ending with a 13-5 Mustang win in Dallas during the 2019-20 season. The two have met five times at neutral sites, including four at NCEA Nationals, all of which the Cowgirls have won. Lastly, Fresno State holds a slim 11-9 record over SMU despite the Mustangs winning five of the last six dating back to the 2017-18 season. The Bulldogs took the latest matchup at the Student Horse Center by a final score of 11-8.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
UC Davis enters Thursday's meet with a 1-1 record on the season after claiming a win over South Carolina before falling to TCU. Oklahoma State sits at the top of the most recent NCEA rankings after starting their slate 3-0 with wins over Baylor, Auburn and TCU. Fresno State holds a 3-2 record so far this year with wins against South Carolina, TCU and Lychburg and losses at Georgia and Auburn. 

2021-22 MOST OUTSTANDING PERFORMERS
•     Alex Pielet -- Fences: 1
•     Emma Jolly -- Fences: 1
•     Nya Kearns -- Horsemanship: 2
•     Katy Merchant -- Flat: 1
•     Mallory Vroegh -- Horsemanship: 2
•     Elli Yeager -- Fences: 1
•     Taylor Zimmerman -- Reining: 1

MUSTANGS MADE HISTORY
SMU looks to capitalize off momentum set during the 2020-21 season as the program saw many firsts and records broken. The runner-up finish at NCEA Nationals marked the highest in SMU Equestrian history and capped off a season that saw the Mustangs finish 10-2, the best record in program history, and earn a third consecutive conference championship. SMU had two NCEA Riders of the Year, seven NCEA Ariat All-Americans, five NCEA National Championship award winners, five earn ECAC awards and six named to All-ECAC teams.

GOING BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
SMU earned its third consecutive conference championship at the inaugural ECAC Championship in March of 2021. The Mustangs defeated Delaware State, 8-6, in the semifinal round before defeating UT Martin, 11-4, in the championship matchup. SMU earned five MOPs during the two matchups. The previous two conference championships for SMU came in 2018 and 2019 as members of the United Equestrian Conference before 2020's ECAC Championship was canceled due to COVID-19.

2021-22 ECAC Honors
•     Chalyce Head -- Reining Rider of the Week (Oct. 12)
•     Katy Merchant -- Flat Rider of the Week (Oct. 12)
•     Alex Pielet -- Fences Rider of the Week (Oct. 12)
•     Mallory Vroegh -- Horsemanship Rider of the Week (Oct. 12)
•     Elli Yeager -- Fences Rider of the Week (Oct. 19)

50 WINS FOR CAROL GWIN
Head coach Carol Gwin earned her 50^th win at SMU during the 2021 spring season when the Mustangs defeated South Dakota State at home on Jan. 29. Since starting at SMU in 2014, she has led SMU to three 10-win seasons, three conference championships, a national Reining runner-up title and a National Reserve Champion title. Gwin has coached nine NCEA First Team All-Americans, three NCEA Rider and two Co-Riders of the Year and countless Conference Riders of the Year and All-Conference riders. In 2018 and 2019, she was named back-to-back UEC Coach of the Year after sharing the title as Co-Coach of the Year in 2017.

UP NEXT
The Mustangs head west for a three-meet weekend Nov. 4-6 as they face UC Davis in Davis, California before taking on No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 7 Fresno State in Fresno.