BISHOP, Ga. – Four University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian riders earned career-highs in scoring today but the No. 10 ranked Skyhawks were defeated 13-5 by No. 6 Georgia.
UT Martin collected two points in fences, a win plus a tie in both Western discipline events and one victory in flat.
In fences, freshman Kate Mills soared to a head-to-head win with a career-best 82 points in her collegiate debut. Elizabeth Becker earned her first victory of the season with a 77-point effort. Freshman Gabby Adams piled up a career-high 81 points in her first collegiate meet while Haley Kane (78 points) was narrowly defeated by one point. Sydney Hott completed the Skyhawk lineup with 66 points.
Lexi Bailey tallied a win with 71.5 points in horsemanship while Kate Davis’ team-best 73 points were good enough for a tie. Emma Schaefer and Ava Newsom (career-best) each accounted for 71.5 points apiece while Mia McAfoos recorded 71 points as part of the UT Martin lineup.
In reining, Logan Putvinski tied for the best score out of 10 riders in the event as the junior from Knoxville, Tenn. notched 70 points en route to the win. Bailey (68.5 points) came away with a draw for the second time in as many meets while Aubrey Malone (67.5), Davis (66.5) and Schaefer (63.5) rounded out the Skyhawk lineup.
Sophia Sundem led the charge for UT Martin in flat, collecting a head-to-head victory via an 86-point performance which ranked as the best on either side in the entire event. Hott managed a score of 79 points and was followed by Kane (77), Bridget Vieau (76) and Becker (73).
The Skyhawks are off until Oct. 12-13, when they will hold their first two home meets of the 2023-24 campaign. UT Martin will host South Dakota State on Thursday, Oct. 12 before squaring off against Auburn on Friday, Oct. 13.
