By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
WACO, Texas – The University of Tennessee at Martin jumped up a spot to No. 9 in the latest National Collegiate Equestrian Association top-10 poll.
Today’s news marks the fifth consecutive appearance in the national rankings for the Skyhawks, who are coming off a split last week in Delaware. UT Martin fell by a slim 9-6 margin to No. 1 TCU on Thursday before bouncing back for a 13-7 true road victory at Delaware State.
Last week, Julia Gilman went 2-0 in fences while Elizabeth Becker, Sydney Hott and Haley Kane also added a victory in the event. Hott’s 83.0 scoring average led the way for the Skyhawks.
In flat, Hott managed her second MOP of the season – accomplishing that feat against No. 1 TCU. The junior from Defiance, Mo. went a perfect 2-0 and boasted a team-best 92.0 scoring average on the week while Gilman, Kane and Rileigh Weiss additionally collected head-to-head victories.
Four different UT Martin riders earned wins in horsemanship last week, led by Kate Davis’ MOP effort against Delaware State. Davis was responsible for a 75.3 scoring average while Lexi Bailey, Emma Schaefer and Keely Seiter earned victories.
Aubrey Malone notched the Skyhawks’ first MOP of the season in reining, dialing up a career-best 73.5 points at Delaware State. Malone’s 73.0 scoring average paved the way while Davis and Logan Putvinski each went 2-0 for UT Martin.
Overall, there were five changes to the NCEA poll from last week. The top four spots remained the same with No. 1 TCU, No. 2 SMU, No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Oklahoma State. Georgia takes over the No. 5 slot and is followed by No. 6 Auburn, who slipped a spot from last week. South Carolina remains at No. 7 and is followed by newcomer UC Davis at No. 8. Following the ninth-ranked Skyhawks is Baylor, who fell from No. 8 to No. 10.
UT Martin is back in action this weekend as it heads to No. 6 Auburn for an 11 a.m. meet on Saturday, Oct. 22.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information