By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian squad has secured the No. 1 seed for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship tournament, which will take place on Thursday, March 23 through Saturday, March 25 in Brookings, SD.
Currently ranked No. 10 in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association poll, the Skyhawks will make their 2023 ECAC Championship debut in the tournament semifinals on Friday, March 24 against the winner of Thursday’s first-round matchup between No. 4 seed South Dakota State and No. 5 seed Minnesota-Crookston.
This will be UT Martin’s second trip to Brookings this month as the Skyhawks defeated South Dakota State by an 11-9 margin on March 1. Overall, UT Martin went 3-0 against ECAC competition in 2022-23, defeating South Dakota State twice (also winning 13-6 in Martin on Nov. 18) and No. 2 seed Delaware State by a 13-7 margin on the road on Oct. 14. The Skyhawks did not face No. 3 seed UC Davis or No. 5 seed Minnesota-Crookston during the season.
UT Martin is coming off back-to-back ECAC reserve championships under third-year head coach Kim Leiter. This season’s squad is the first in program history to nab the No. 1 seed in the bracket of the ECAC Championships, which started in 2021.
Sydney Hott (team-highs of two MOP’s and an 81.1 scoring average) and Julia Gilman (team-best two MOP’s and nine head-to-head wins) guide the Skyhawks in fences. Six of seven UT Martin riders have joined forces for 29 individual victories, four MOP’s and a 78.3 team scoring average.
Six of the seven Skyhawks who have seen action in flat have combined for 28 victories and three MOP’s. Haley Kane and Hott share the team lead with six wins apiece while Gilman accounts for a team-best 81.3 scoring average. Hott’s two MOP’s lead the way for UT Martin, who is responsible for a 77.6 flat scoring average as a team.
All five Skyhawks who have made up the horsemanship lineup in 2022-23 have contributed victories. Lexi Bailey ranks atop the squad in wins (four) and scoring average (74.0) while Kate Davis has collected a team-high two MOP’s. Overall, UT Martin has accumulated a a dozen head-to-head triumphs, three MOP’s and a 72.4 scoring average.
In reining, each of the six Skyhawks who have taken part in the event have combined for 20 victories, four MOP’s and a 65.9 team scoring average. Logan Putvinski guides UT Martin in both head-to-head wins (six) and scoring average (70.4) while she is one of four Skyhawks to capture an MOP honor in 2022-23 (alongside Aubrey Malone, Bailey and Emma Schaefer).
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information