By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
HARRINGTON, Del. – A total of five University of Tennessee at Martin riders combined for six Eastern College Athletic Conference accolades at the postseason banquet held on the eve of the 2022 league championship.
The Skyhawks were responsible for two of the eight premier awards this evening as Kelby Kane earned ECAC Fences Rider of the Year honors while Kate Davis captured ECAC Freshman of the Year status in reining.
In addition, Kelby Kane and Haley Kane were each named to the four-member All-ECAC fences squad. Julia Gilman accounted for All-ECAC status in flat while Emma Schaefer was recognized as an All-ECAC horsemanship honoree.
The announcement marks the second top individual honor in Kelby Kane’s career as the senior from Lexington, Ky. was also named United Equestrian Conference Flat Freshman of the Year in 2019. She is the first UT Martin representative to win Fences Rider of the Year and becomes only the third Skyhawk to receive ECAC Rider of the Year status, joining Abbie Hopkins (2020 flat) and Hannah McDonald (2021 reining). She leads UT Martin with 12 victories (in 14 opportunities), four MOP’s and an 82.1 scoring average. Her career-high of 88 points came in the victory over then-No. 3 SMU on Oct. 2 as she rolled to four ECAC Fences Rider of the Week mentions (Oct. 5, Nov. 16, Feb. 1 and March 5) this season.
Davis makes history as the first-ever Skyhawk to be voted as an ECAC Freshman of the Year in any event. She joins current UT Martin graduate assistant Noel Meadows (2018 UEC Freshman of the Year) as the only two Skyhawks in the last seven years to win that award in reining. The Williamston, Mich. native accrued team-highs across the board in victories (six), MOP’s (three) and scoring average (69.7) while dialing up a career-best 75 points in the triumph over then-No. 3 SMU on Oct. 2. She received ECAC Reining Rider of the Week honors on Oct. 19.
A junior out of Lexington, Ky., Haley Kane and her sister Kelby join Hopkins (2018) as the only riders in school history to notch all-conference accolades in fences. Haley currently ranks second on the team in head-to-head victories (nine), MOP’s (three) and scoring average (80.8). Her career-high tally of 87 points came against No. 1 Oklahoma State on Feb. 12 and was the second-best fences score by any UT Martin rider this season.
Gilman is just the fifth Skyhawk to earn an all-conference mention in flat – joining a list that includes Hopkins (2020, 2019), Kelby Kane (2019) and Randi LaChance (2017). The junior out of Barrington, Ill. posted team-highs in victories (nine), MOP’s (three) and scoring average (78.8) while shattering a career-high with an 89-point effort against UC Davis (Feb. 11) and then-No. 3 SMU (Oct. 2). She was a two-time ECAC Flat Rider of the Week this season, chalking up those honors on Oct. 5 and March 15.
Hailing from New Virginia, Iowa, Schaefer becomes the fourth UT Martin horsemanship representative on an all-conference list (alongside Bailey Newlin in 2021, Devon Woods in 2018 and Brittany Woodard in 2017). Her stellar sophomore season includes a team-best two MOP’s, four wins and a 72.8 scoring average. Her career-best score of 76.5 points came on Feb. 11 against UC Davis.
The Skyhawks secured the No. 2 seed in the upcoming ECAC Championship and will make its tournament debut on Friday, March 25 against the winner of the No. 3 Delaware State/No. 6 Minnesota-Crookston meet.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information