SMU
South Carolina
SMU Starts Season With Three Consecutive Meets
Sep 30 | Equestrian
Thursday, October 1, 2026 – 9 a.m. CT
No. 5 SMU at No. 2 South CarolinaÂ
One Wood Farm - Blythewood, S.C.
Live ScoringÂ
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Friday, October 2, 2026 – 9 a.m. CT
No. 5 SMU vs. No. 6 TCUÂ
One Wood Farm - Blythewood, S.C. (Neutral Site)
Live ScoringÂ
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Saturday, October 3, 2026 – 11 a.m. CT
No. 5 SMU at No. 3 Auburn
Auburn University Equestrian Center - Auburn, Ala.
Live Scoring | Live StreamÂ
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DALLAS (SMU) - SMU Equestrian starts the season off fast and furious with three ranked competitions in three consecutive days.Â
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First, the Mustangs will travel to Columbia, South Carolina to face the No. 2 Gamecocks for the first time since the NCEA Quarterfinals on Oct. 1. In the last outing, SMU fell short with an 8-11 loss to the future NCEA Champions. However, the Mustangs have won six of the last eight meetings.
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One day later, SMU will compete against No. 6 TCU at One Wood Farm for a neutral site meet on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 11 a.m. ET
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The Mustangs will travel one state over on Oct. 3 to take on the No. 3 Auburn Tigers at the Auburn University Equestrian Center, starting at 11 a.m. CT.
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Madison Rafacz returns for her sophomore season. Last year, she was named the 2026 National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) Reining Rider of the Year. The Ocala, Florida native went undefeated in the 2025-26 season with a Reining record of 9-0-2. She also collected All-America First Team (Reining), NCEA Ariona Reining Rider of the Year and NCEA Western Ride of the Week accolades.
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SMU senior Aedan Mooney is coming off her best season yet, finishing her junior campaign with six consecutive points when competing on Fences. She earned NCEA Jumping Seat Ride of the Week on March 3.
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Over the offseason, SMU brought in Maggie Nealon as the Assistant Jumping Seat Coach. Nealon was a student-athlete for five seasons and a student coach for one at Texas A&M. In her inaugural coaching season, she helped guide the team to an SEC Championship and a NCEA National Championship runner-up finish.Â
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Across the past four seasons, head coach Brad Kearns and the Mustangs have posted a record of 29-15 and claimed two national championships (2023 & 2024).
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The next competition will be Oct. 29 in College Station, Texas, when the Mustangs will take on Texas A&M to finish their month of away meets.Â
