Bracket | Championship Central
WACO, Texas (NCEA/SMU) – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) announced on Tuesday evening that the defending back-to-back National Champion SMU equestrian team will be the top overall seed in the NCEA Championships.
 
The No. 1 Mustangs will face off against No. 8 UT-Martin (8-6) on Thursday, April 17, at 7:30 a.m. CT at World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida.
 
If SMU advances, it will face the winner of No. 4 TCU (10-5) and No. 5 South Carolina (8-5) the following day in Ocala in the National Semifinals. The National Championship will be on Saturday, April 19, at 9 a.m. CT.
 
This will mark the second meeting between the Mustangs and the Skyhawks this season, with the two previously facing off in Martin on February 22. The Mustangs took the matchup, 11-6, and boasts a 18-5 advantage in the series. This is the second meeting in the NCEA Championships, with SMU taking the previous in 2012.
 
SMU (10-4) has experienced a climb since the beginning of the spring season. The Mustangs sat at seventh prior to their first meet in the 2025 calendar year but have since rattled off seven consecutive wins to rise all the way to the top. The seven-meet win streak is the longest active streak in the nation, and the Ponies also currently hold the second-longest home winning streak at 19.
 
The seven wins have been highlighted by five victories over ranked foes, including four wins over top-three opponents. In addition, SMU has earned victories by a combined score of 91-37 during its streak.
 
Then-No. 2 SMU defeated top-ranked Auburn in its regular season finale, 12-7, to help the Ponies jump up to the top of the polls.
 
This is the second time in the last three seasons that the Mustangs have picked up the top-overall seed, and the third straight season they have been a top-two seed.
 
Last season, SMU downed No. 7 South Carolina, No. 6 Oklahoma State and No. 1 TCU en route to its second consecutive NCEA National Championship.
 
Full Seedings
No. 1     SMU (10-4)
No. 2     Auburn (11-3)
No. 3     Oklahoma State (9-5)
No. 4     TCU (10-5)
No. 5     South Carolina (8-5)
No. 6     Texas A&M (8-7)
No. 7     Georgia (6-6)
No. 8     UT-Martin (8-6)
 
SMU at the NCEA Championships
Year       Seed      Result
2024       No. 2     National Champions
2023       No. 1     National Champions
2022       No. 7     National Semifinals
2021       No. 4     National Runner-Up
2019       No. 6     First Round
2018       No. 5     First Round
2017       No. 8     First Round
2016       No. 10   Second Round
2015       No. 8     First Round
2014       No. 10   Second Round
*program went to four disciplines in 2013