No. 7 SMU equestrian knocks off No. 2 Texas A&M

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

No. 7 Mustangs knock off No. 2 Texas A&M, 13-6

DALLAS (SMU) – The seventh-ranked SMU equestrian team won the final three events en route to a, 13-6, victory over second-ranked Texas A&M on Saturday at Dallas Equestrian Center.

The Mustangs took a 6-4 lead in the first half behind a dominating 4-1 result in reining. They built off the halftime lead with a 4-1 victory on the flat and a 3-1 win in horsemanship to close out the victory.

Earning MOP's for SMU in the Jumping Seat events were Hannah Hoch and Augusta Iwasaki. On the Western Side, Nya Kearns and Chalyce Head took the honors.

During the first event of the day, Texas A&M claimed three of five points in fences to take an early advantage. Hoch picked up an 82.5-79.5 win, and Elli Yeager joined her in the win column with a 77.5-76 result.

The Mustangs were able to build a lead in reining during the first after picking up four wins. Addi Schmersal started things off with a 72-66.75 victory to even the event score at one. Maria Richards followed with a 69-65.75 result, while Head won her matchup 72-69.25. Shelby Clausen closed the half out with a 68.25-67 victory.

SMU picked up in the second half on the flat, winning four points to extend the lead to 10-5 headed into the final event of the afternoon. Iwasaki led things off with a result of 75.5-71 to claim the first Mustang win in the event. Hensley Humphries (76.5-74) and Elli Yeager (77.5-65) continued the success in the next two matchups. Aedan Mooney was able to close out the event with a 78.5-76 win to bring the Mustangs one win away from securing the meet.

With the sixth ride under review, Violet Shetler earned a victory of 75.375-73 in horsemanship to secure the meet for the Mustangs with the 11th point. Kearns subsequently added a narrow 75.5-75 victory. After the review, Alexa Black would win her matchup 75.25-66 to stretch the lead to 13-6, the final score.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: With the win on Saturday afternoon, SMU improved its home winning streak to 16 meets. This is the second-longest active streak in the NCEA, second only to TCU's 21. In addition, the Mustangs are 3-0 this season by a combined score of 62-14.

STAYING UNDEFEATED: SMU western riders Nya Kearns and Chalyce Head both picked up wins to stay undefeated on the season. Kearns moved to 9-0, while Head sits at 8-0-1. The pair also both earned MOP honors in their respective events.

IWASAKI ON THE FLAT: Augusta Iwasaki earned a MOP accolade on the Flat, the first of her illustrious career in the event. For her career, she currently ranks sixth in Mustang history with 11 MOPs across all events.

CLOSING STRONG: After falling in Fences 3-2, SMU only conceded one point in each event the remainder of the meet to earn the victory.

UP NEXT: SMU returns home on Saturday, February 15 at 10 a.m. to faceoff with fourth-ranked Georgia.