By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information
DANBURY, Conn. – Kelby Kane and Julia Gilman, both Jumping Seat standouts on the University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian team, were announced as Eastern College Athletic Conference Riders of the Week today. Kane earned the title in fences while Gilman was the league’s top honoree in flat.
Today’s announcement marks the fifth time in Kane’s career that she has won a conference Rider of the Week honor, dating back to Nov. 5, 2018. It is the second career weekly mention for Gilman, who also won on Feb. 1, 2021.
The duo helped the No. 10 ranked Skyhawks to a split against a pair of ECAC foes last weekend in Delaware, including arguably the biggest victory in program history as UT Martin downed No. 3 SMU by a 9-6 margin on Saturday.
A senior from Lexington, Ky., Kane swept both MOP accolades in fences over the weekend. She was responsible for 83 points on Friday at Delaware State before managing a career-best 88 against SMU. She won in commanding fashion as she toppled her head-to-head competitors by a combined 27 points.
Kane currently leads UT Martin in fences wins (three), fences MOP’s (two) and fences scoring average (80.3). For good measure, she also boasts a team-best 85.0 scoring average in flat to go along with a pair of wins and one MOP so far through three meets in 2021-22.
Additionally soaring over the weekend was Gilman, who went a perfect 2-for-2 in flat MOP’s against Delaware State (86 points) and SMU (career-high 89 points). The junior out of Barrington, Ill. also won her matchups by a wide margin, tallying a pair of victories by a combined dozen points.
On the season, Gilman owns team-highs of two wins and two MOP’s in flat, accounting for an 81.3 scoring average. She has also excelled in fences this season – ranking right behind Kane in scoring average (80.0) while posting a pair of victories (also both coming last weekend).
The Skyhawks resume their fall slate in 10 days when they travel to Brookings, SD to clash against ECAC rival South Dakota State.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information