By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian squad left it all on the line today against the top-ranked team in the nation but the SMU Mustangs claimed a 12-6 win at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Pavilion.
Ranked No. 10 in the country themselves, the Skyhawks won the reining portion of the meet by a 3-2 margin while boasting event MOP Emma Schaefer. UT Martin also played SMU to a draw (two victories and a tie) in flat while adding another victory in horsemanship and one draw in fences.
Schaefer’s MOP performance was her first of the 2022-23 campaign as the junior from New Virginia, Iowa won her second consecutive decision over the Mustangs. She amassed a career-high 71 points aboard Shiner, becoming the fourth different Skyhawk to nab MOP accolades in reining.
Lexi Bailey (70 points) and Aubrey Malone (69) were also responsible for victories in reining, each claiming their third wins of the season. Logan Putvinski equaled Schaefer with a team-best 71 points but was edged out by 0.5 points while Kate Davis accounted for a 69.5-point performance.
In flat, Haley Kane secured a team-best 85 points on the way to a four-point triumph over her competitor, resulting in the team-high sixth victory of the season for the senior out of Lexington, Ky. In just her second start this season, Ava Laplante registered her second win after posting 72 points. Sophia Sundem’s 81-point effort was good enough for a tie while Julia Gilman (83 points) and Sydney Hott (64) rounded out UT Martin’s lineup.
Bailey recorded her second Western discipline point of the day as the sophomore from Union Mills, Ind. earned her team-best third triumph of the season with 73 points. Keely Seiter put up a solid score but her 70.5 points were one shy of her competitor. Schaefer’s 70 points was the next highest Skyhawk score and was followed by Davis (69.5) and Paige Benson (65.5).
In fences, Elizabeth Becker came away with 80 points to garner a tie. Hott produced a team-best 82 points while Kane’s 79.5 points were 0.5 points lower than her competition. Tyler Anderson tallied a solid score of 78 points but was pitted against the event MOP while Gilman received 63 points.
Following the meet, head coach Kim Leiter recognized 12 special Skyhawk seniors in Mahalia Alascio (who performed as a flat demo rider), Anderson, Benson, Abi Clark (who was an exhibition reining performer), Gilman, Kane, Abi Myers (who served as a demo fences rider), Anna Ordonio (who performed as a flat exhibition rider), Casey Ruggiero (who was a demo flat performer), Seiter, Erica Snyder (who served as an exhibition horsemanship rider) and Grace York (who performed as a fences exhibition rider).
UT Martin returns to action later this month when it heads to Brookings, SD for Eastern College Athletic Conference matchups against South Dakota State (Feb. 24) and UC Davis (Feb. 25).
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information