MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian team put up quite a fight today but fell by an 11-6 margin to No. 4 SMU at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex.
It was an emotionally-charged Senior Day as Lexi Bailey, Elizabeth Becker, Kate Davis, Aubrey Malone, Mia McAfoos, Logan Putvinski and Rileigh Weiss each competed in their final regular season match inside the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex.
The No. 9 ranked Skyhawks (6-5) struck for three of the five points in reining while posting one win and two ties in fences, one victory and a draw in horsemanship and one win in flat. UT Martin won the raw score in fences (366-363) and narrowly fell in raw score in both horsemanship (372.5-371.5) and reining (354-352.5).
Elise Mason garnered her third reining MOP of the season today behind a career-best 73 points. The victory also gave the sophomore from Olympia, Wash. nine head-to-head wins this season, which is tied for the team lead.
Mason’s second win of the weekend set the tone for the Skyhawks in reining. Putvinski also won for the second time this weekend as her season-best 72-point effort was her ninth triumph of the season. Davis also capped off a 2-0 weekend in reining with 69 points for her sixth win of the 2024-25 season. Bailey (70.5 points) lost by a single point while Malone’s score of 68 completed the scoring for UT Martin’s lineup.
In fences, Kate Mills’ 80 points were seven points better than her opponent – leading to her team-best sixth win of the season in that event. Gabby Adams (75 points) and Bridget Vieau (40) came away with ties while Becker (86 points, lost by one) and Emerson Maier (career-best 85 points) ran into some tough luck.
Davis’ sterling weekend also included a triumph in horsemanship as her 74 points resulted in her fourth victory of the season. Bailey tied her head-to-head competitor with 73 points while Lillian Laney (76 points, lost by one), Ava Newsom (season-high 75 points, lost by 2.5) and McAfoos (73.5 points, lost by 2.5 points) fell by the thinnest of margins.
Weiss dialed up her second victory in as many days in flat, accumulating 80 points for her fourth win of the 2024-25 campaign. Vieau (85 points), Payton Lussen (career-best 82), Adams (78) and Becker (71) additionally made up the Skyhawk starting lineup.
UT Martin concludes the regular season on Saturday, March 8 when it heads to Blythewood, SC to take on No. 8 South Carolina.
