DALLAS (SMU) -- Cathy Woosley Luse has been named assistant Western Coach by SMU Head Equestrian Coach Brad Kearns in an announcement on Friday. 

Coach Woosley Luse comes to the Hilltop from the University of South Carolina, where she helped lead the Gamecocks to a 2025 SEC Championship.  Prior to coaching at South Carolina, she was the Director of Equestrian teams and head Western coach for two seasons at Wilson College, guiding the 2024 IHSA National Champion Open Reining rider.  

"We are honored and delighted to welcome Coach Woosley Luse to the Hilltop," stated SMU Head Coach Brad Kearns. "Our whole team is excited to learn from her expertise as a horsewoman, judge and coach.  I can't wait to learn from Coach Woosley Luse myself.  Her vast equestrian background provides so much knowledge for our team and she is such a great addition to our coaching staff." 

A second-generation Professional Horsewoman, Woosley Luse brings in a vast amount of experience to the SMU Mustangs. Her father, Clayton Woosley is a National Reining Horse Association Hall of Fame inductee, guiding her as she grew up showing all-around and reining events on the AQHA, APHA, and NRHA circuits. After her youth career, Woosley Luse attended Midway University, where she competed on their IHSA teams in both Hunt Seat and Western, placing in the top-10 at nationals over Fences, on the Flat, and won a National Championship in Open Horsemanship. Woosley Luse also won the prestigious IHSA High Point Western Rider.  After College, Coach Woosley Luse and her husband Van Luse, both respected NRHA judges, operated a successful training business.  

"I'm honored and excited to join the SMU Mustangs as Assistant Western Coach," says Woosley Luse. "Being part of a National Championship–winning program is a tremendous privilege, and I look forward to working alongside Head Coach Brad Kearns and Jumping Seat Coach Laura Persons to build on that success. My goal is to help our student-athletes reach their fullest potential both in the saddle and in the classroom, while embracing the team's culture of excellence, resilience, and camaraderie. I can't wait to get started and contribute to the next chapter of SMU equestrian's proud legacy."