Thursday, October 3, 2024 – 1 PM
[2] SMU at [4] Texas A&M
Hildebrand Equine Complex – College Station, Texas
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Defending back-to-back national champion No. 2 SMU Equestrian is set to continue its season-opening road trip with a meet against No. 4 Texas A&M on Thursday afternoon at Hildebrand Equine Complex.

The meet will begin at 1 PM, and serves as the Aggies season opener. The Mustangs kicked off their season on September 20, falling on the road to TCU on a tiebreaker.

Thursday marks the 22nd meeting all time between the two programs, and Texas A&M leads the series 13-8. Last season, the Mustangs claimed the meet in Dallas while the Aggies took the matchup in College Station.

BACK TO BACK
The Mustangs are the defending back-to-back National Champions, marking the ninth and 10th national titles for SMU Athletics. SMU is the third school to claim back-to-back national titles, joining Auburn and Georgia.

EXPERIENCE RETURNING
The Mustangs return 28 riders from last season's NCEA Championship squad, including two All-Americans in Augusta Iwasaki (Fences) and Nya Kearns (Horsemanship). Iwasaki and Kearns both earned NCEA Rider of the Year honors in their respective divisions. Kearns' honor marks her second NCEA Rider of the Year accolade, also taking it home in 2021, while Iwasaki claimed her second consecutive Rider of the Year honor. In addition, SMU has four riders entering their fifth year of eligibility, as Kearns joins Shelby Clausen, Chalyce Head and Hailey Johns.

STRONG START FOR ELLI
Senior Elli Yeager earned two MOP honors during SMU's season opener against No. 1 TCU. Yeager scored a 93 to gain a victory and the MOP on fences, and she also scored a 93 on flat to pick up a narrow victory.

NEAR THE TOP EARLY
SMU has been ranked second in both editions of the NCEA rankings this season. The Mustangs also have a challenging schedule early, facing every top-six team during their fall slate, with all but one being on the road.

THE KEARNS ERA
Brad Kearns is entering his first year as the head coach of the Mustangs after serving as an assistant for the previous three seasons. As an assistant, Kearns coached two National Championship winning teams, 10 All-Americans and was named the 2024 NCEA Western Coach of the Year. Kearns' daughter, Nya, is a member of the team and looks to build off an already incredibly successful career.