DALLAS (SMU) – Augusta Iwasaki doesn't want to contemplate reality just yet. 

Her career with the SMU equestrian program has been nothing short of spectacular, including two national titles, multiple All-American honors and a lot of success over the last four years. 

But after this trip to the National Collegiate Equestrian Association Championship in Ocala, Florida, her time with the Mustangs will be over.

"I try not to think about it to be honest," Iwasaki said with a laugh. "I think I'm just trying to enjoy every minute of it. I'm really excited. I think the whole team is really motivated and really wants to win. I'm just really excited to have this experience again and have our younger girls experience it."

SMU (5-5) enters the season-culminating event as the No. 5 seed in the dual discipline bracket. The Mustangs will square off with No. 4 South Carolina (10-5) at 8:30 a.m. EST on Thursday in the quarterfinals at the World Equestrian Center. 

Over the course of the 2025-26 regular season, SMU faced four of the seven other opponents in the eight-team bracket. The Mustangs split home and away matches with South Carolina, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M while falling twice to top-seeded Auburn, including a raw score result that was determined by 1.37 points. 

After a 0-3 start to the year, SMU won four straight before taking down Oklahoma State in the senior day finale back on March 7. 

"We had a bit of a tough start, but that pushed us to find our footing and come together as a team quickly," graduate student Ava Peck said. "Over the second half of the season, you could feel the shift. We became more consistent, more confident, and more connected as a group. Everyone started trusting each other and their roles more, and that's when we really found our rhythm."

While their last competition took place more than a month ago, the Mustangs have done everything they can to keep focused since. 

Coach Brad Kearns and his staff honed in on basics that often get overlooked as the season progresses. He challenged the team to step out of their comfort zone, even with more than five weeks of downtime before the next meet. 

"You have to push every day and you have to practice every day like it's competition day. You can't just flip the switch on competition day and ride differently," Kearns said. "They're not taking it lightly that we have to ride our best when we get there, because realistically, every team in the top eight is capable of winning."

For riders like Iwasaki and Peck, this will be their final time suiting up for SMU as their respective college careers draw to a close. They have an abundance of experience in this environment which will be relied on in the coming days. 

That's not the case for a significant number of other Mustang riders. This season, 11 freshmen or sophomores got at least one start and there were several juniors who are now regular starters but had minimal in-ring experience prior to this season.

Last year, Sara Beth Filiatreau was one of those freshmen asked to play a major role in the starting lineup, so she understands the nerves that some of the younger riders might be feeling. 

"My advice would be to keep riding how you have been. It's still the same game, nothing's changed except it's actually a little more fair because we're riding horses that both teams don't know," Filiatreau said. "Just keep riding exactly how you have been and don't let the fact that it's nationals change anything."

While that might be easier said than done, the Mustangs have a history of thriving under pressure. 

Over the last three years, SMU has reached Saturday's championship round each time with back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024. 

Some of the faces might have changed, but the standard remains the same. The Mustangs are focused on taking care of business and bringing home another piece of hardware for the trophy case. 

"I think knowing that we've done it before and not knowing anything different is really important for my mindset," senior Alexa Black said. "We want that feeling again. I want the younger girls to experience that feeling that we've had the past three years and keep the momentum going."