AUBURN, Ala. – The spring season for the No. 9 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian squad opened with a successful showing today as the Skyhawks soared to a 13-6 triumph over Eastern College Athletic Conference foe Minnesota-Crookston.
UT Martin improved to 5-0 in the ECAC standings and 5-3 overall after bringing home all four MOP’s. Payton Lussen (fences), Bridget Vieau (flat), Mia McAfoos (horsemanship) and Lexi Bailey (reining) earned top honors today.
The Skyhawks swept all five points in flat, won four points in reining (with the lone setback coming by 0.5 points), won three and tied one point in fences (only loss coming by a single point) and added one victory in horsemanship for their third consecutive victory dating back to the fall.
Vieau’s 80-point effort in flat was good enough for her second MOP and fourth victory of the 2024-25 campaign. Amelia Turner secured a career- and team-high 82 points for her first official collegiate point while Rileigh Weiss posted a season-best 80 points on the way to her second win of the season. Lussen accumulated 79 points in her collegiate debut while Becker’s 74 points were good enough for her fourth win of the season and completed UT Martin’s sweep in that event.
In reining, Bailey registered her team-best third MOP medal and fifth win of the season with a 70-point performance. Logan Putvinski (71 points) and Elise Mason (69) each notched their team-high seventh victory of the year while Kate Davis’ 70 points equaled her third win of the season. Aubrey Malone additionally represented the Skyhawks as her 67 points were barely edged out by her head-to-head competitor.
Lussen’s collegiate debut also included an impressive MOP ride in flat as the freshman out of Columbia, Conn. accounted for 86 points. Emerson Maier dialed up her team-best fifth victory of the season with 75 points while Kate Mills’ 79 points resulted in her fourth win in 2024-25. Vieau’s 84 points tied her opponent while Becker (76 points) was also part of the UT Martin lineup.
McAfoos continued her phenomenal senior campaign as the Alton, Ill. native came away with her third consecutive MOP in horsemanship (72.5 points). The Skyhawk horsemanship lineup also included Kailyn Veale (71 points), Bailey (69.5), Lillian Laney (69.5) and Davis (69).
UT Martin wraps up the weekend tomorrow with a top-10 heavyweight matchup against No. 1 Auburn. The meet will start at 11 a.m. and will be streamed live on SEC Network+.