WACO, Texas – Elise Mason, a sophomore at the University of Tennessee at Martin, has been recognized as the Arion Sellier National Collegiate Equestrian Association Rider of the Month in reining for October.
Mason becomes the first Skyhawk to win a national Rider of the Month honor since Hannah McDonald also claimed the reining award in February 2020.
An Olympia, Wash. native, Mason has been a revelation for UT Martin in 2024-25. After she did not compete in the Oct. 5 season opener against No. 10 Fresno State, she has gone undefeated with an impressive 4-0 record while hauling in a pair of MOP’s. In addition, she tops the team in scoring average by a wide margin, averaging 71.5 points per outing.
Mason’s dominant run began with a 72.5-point effort on Oct. 5 at South Dakota State, leading to her first MOP medal after an 8.5-point win over her head-to-head competitor. She followed that with a 70.5-point performance for a 1.5-point victory against UC Davis on Oct. 18 and produced 70 points the next day – winning by 0.5 points – against No. 5 Oklahoma State. She completed her remarkable month on a high note, generating a career-best score of 73 points for a two-point triumph over her opponent from No. 1 Auburn on Oct. 26.
For her efforts, Mason was named Eastern College Athletic Conference Reining Rider of the Week twice (Oct. 22, Oct. 29) as well as the ECAC Reining Rider of the Month for October.
The Skyhawks will be back in action later this month as UT Martin travels to Felton, Del. for matchups against Delaware State and South Dakota State on Nov. 15-16.
