Re-ride gives No. 5 equestrian 10-9 win over No. 3 Georgia

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Filiatreau’s Re-Ride Win Gives No. 5 SMU Walk-Off Victory Over No. 3 Georgia, 10-9

DALLAS (SMU) – The fifth-ranked SMU equestrian team completed the season sweep of No. 3 Georgia with a, 10-9, victory on Saturday in a nail-biting meet at Dallas Equestrian Center.

Saturday's meet came down to a re-ride after a Georgia challenge with SMU's Sara Filiatreau taking the walk-off victory with a score of 72-71.

This is the second victory that the Mustangs (6-4) have recorded over Georgia, marking the first time in program history SMU has defeated the Bulldogs (5-4, 3-1 SEC) twice in a single season.

Picking up MOP accolades for the Ponies in Western were Nya Kearns for Horsemanship and Filiatreau in Reining. Kearns' MOP is the seventh of the season for the graduate student, the Mustangs' all-time leader in Horsemanship MOPs.

During the first, UGA took Fences with a 3-2 score, but SMU fought back in Horsemanship to gain an 6-3 advantage headed into the halftime break. The Bulldogs were able to regain momentum with a 4-1 victory on the Flat to even the score headed into the final event, however the Mustangs were able to get a 3-2 advantage in Reining to take the thrilling victory.

Georgia opened the meet with a lead in Fences after being awarded scores of 83 and above on three different rides in the event. The Mustangs were able to salvage two points with Aedan Mooney and Hannah Hoch each taking a victory to make the UGA advantage 3-2 following the first event.

The Mustangs manufactured a response in the next event to continue their season-long success in Horsemanship. Ava Blyth earned the first SMU victory in the event with a 73-60 advantage. Event MOP Kearns and Jayna Lagace also earned victories to extend the Mustang lead after Violet Shetler drew her point. Following a review, Alexa Black took the final point of the event to give SMU a 4-0 advantage in Horsemanship and a 6-3 advantage entering the break.

In the opening act of the second, Georgia was able to even the score at seven after winning 4-1 on the flat. Hensley Humphries took the lone victory of the event for the Mustangs with an 86-72 win in the first matchup.

With the meet on the line, UGA claimed the first two points of Reining to get a 9-7 lead, one away from securing the victory. However, Maria Richards would score a 69.5 to get the Mustangs back within one. Addi Schmersal earned a 72-71 victory to bring the meet down to the result of a re-ride in the fourth matchup.

In the re-ride, Filiatreau claimed a 72-71 victory to give the Mustangs the, 10-9, walk-off victory in dramatic fashion. The ride by the freshman earned her the first MOP of her young career.

HORSEMANSHIP DOMINANCE: The Mustangs claimed Horsemanship 4-0, marking the sixth straight victory for the Mustangs in the event dating back to October 25 against No. 2 TCU. In addition, this is the fourth time this season SMU has won the event without squandering a single point. It also was only the second time that UGA has not scored in the event this season, with the only other coming against SMU on October 18, in Bishop, Georgia.

HAPPY AT HOME: With the victory, SMU extended its home winning streak to 17 dating back to the beginning of the 2022-23 season. The streak is the second longest in the nation, behind only TCU's 21. The Mustangs are 5-0 at home this season, winning by a combined score of 72-23.

NYA STAYING UNBEATEN: Nya Kearns improved her record to 10-0 in Horsemanship with a narrow 79.5-77 victory.

UP NEXT: SMU will hit the road for the final time in the regular season to face Delaware State and UT-Martin in Martin, Tennessee, on February 21 and 22.