OCALA, Fla. (SMU) – The top-seeded SMU equestrian team swept three events en route to an 18-2 victory over No. 8 UT-Martin on Thursday morning at World Equestrian Center to advance to the National Semifinals.
 
No. 5 South Carolina (9-5, 1-4 SEC), which took down fourth-seeded TCU on Thursday, will meet SMU in the semis. The Mustangs and Gamecocks will face off on Friday morning at 8 a.m. CT.
 
The 16-point victory was the largest win for SMU during an NCEA Championships meet. The previous high was against No. 3 TCU in 2023, with the Mustangs taking down the Horned Frogs 14-6 in the National Semifinals.
 
The Mustangs (11-4) swept both Fences and Flat, marking the first time in school history that SMU has won every matchup in a discipline during an NCEA Championships meet. This is the second time the Ponies have swept a discipline, previously taking a 7-0 advantage over No. 5 Texas A&M in Jumping Seat during the first round of the 2021 Championships.
 
In addition, SMU claimed a sweep in Horsemanship. This marks the seventh time the Mustangs have swept the event this season and have won the event in 11 straight meets.
 
SMU opened up the Championships strong, earning its third sweep of the season in Fences – first against a ranked opponent – to earn an early advantage. Katie Kiely, Hannah Hoch, Elli Yeager, Augusta Iwasaki and Aedan Mooney all earned points for SMU, with Iwasaki being the high-point scorer with a mark of 88.7.
 
Chalyce Head scored a 71 in Reining to extend the SMU lead to 6-0 before UTM was able to respond with one. Maria Richards and Sara Filiatreau followed with scores of 68.2 and 71 to lift the Mustangs to an 8-2 advantage halfway through the meet.
 
For the second time of the day, the Ponies swept an event, this time on the Flat to secure the win. Earning victories for SMU were Kiely, Hensley Humphries, Yeager, Mooney and Iwasaki. Mooney was the high-point scorer for the Ponies, scoring an 82.5 .
 
To close out the meet, the Mustangs swept their third event of the day by taking a 5-0 win in Horsemanship. Violet Shetler, Nya Kearns, Alexa Black, Ava Blyth and Jayna Lagace all picked up wins for SMU, with Kearns' 76.8 being the high point of the event.
 
HORSEMANSHIP DOMINANCE: Thursday's win featured the seventh time that SMU has swept horsemanship. In addition, the Mustangs have won the event in all but two meets this season, including 11 straight victories.
 
STREAKING STANGS: SMU extended its nation-leading winning streak to eight with Thursday's win. 
 
GET THE BROOMS OUT: For the second time this season, the Mustangs swept three of four events in the victory. SMU claimed Fences, Flat and Horsemanship by way of a sweep. The Mustangs also accomplished this feat against South Dakota State on January 31, 2025, the spring opener and start of SMU's current win streak.
 
UP NEXT: SMU will face No. 5 South Carolina on Friday at 8 a.m. at World Equestrian Center for a trip to the National Championship.