AUBURN, Ala. – The University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian squad took part in a pair of meets today in the Yellowhammer State, falling 14-6 to No. 6 Auburn before a 5-3 setback in a scrimmage against Dartmouth.
Lexi Bailey continued her strong 2023-24 season today as the junior from Union Mills, Ind. won both of her head-to-head Western discipline matchups against No. 6 Auburn. She accounted for a season-high 75.5 points in horsemanship on the way to her team-best sixth win while also notching a team-high seventh win in reining following a team-best score of 72 points.
Emma Schaefer (75.5 points to equal Bailey for a team-high tally in horsemanship) added her fourth victory of the 2023-24 season to close out the winners in the Western discipline for the Skyhawks. On the Jumping Seat side, the trio of Kate Mills (team-best 83 points in fences), Sophia Sundem (team-high sixth triumph in flat with an 80-point performance) and Bridget Vieau (79-point effort for her third victory of the season in flat) also emerged victorious in the meet against Auburn.
UT Martin’s fences lineup included Mills’ fifth win of the season, Haley Kane (82 points), Sydney Hott (80), Elizabeth Becker (79) and Gabby Adams (78). In flat, the Skyhawks trotted out a lineup that featured the victorious duo of Sundem and Vieau as well as Kane (team-high 81 points), Hott (78) and Becker (74).
In horsemanship, Ava Newsom established a new career-high with 75 points while Kate Davis (73.5 points) and Mia McAfoos (73) also represented UT Martin alongside Bailey and Schaefer. Following Bailey in the Skyhawk reining lineup was Schaefer (71), Aubrey Malone (70), Logan Putvinski (66) and Davis (65.5).
Immediately after the Auburn meet, UT Martin took on a Dartmouth team in an abbreviated Jumping Seat-only scrimmage as the Skyhawk opponent entered as the No. 3 ranked single discipline squad in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association.
Gabby Adams brought home MOP accolades in flat with an 81-point performance. Mills posted a team-best 83 points in flat while Amelia Turner (78 points) and Audrey Morris (70) rounded out the UT Martin lineup in that event.
A pair of Skyhawk riders claimed victories in fences as Emerson Maier and Shelby Davis won their head-to-head matchups with scores of 81 and 78, respectively. Also competing in that event for UT Martin was Emmy Reed (71 points) and Vieau (70).
The Skyhawks wrap up the 2023-24 regular season on Friday, March 1 when they host Minnesota-Crookston for Senior Day festivities.
