Gwin, Kearns Named NCEA Coaches Of The Year

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Gwin, Kearns Named NCEA Coaches Of The Year

DALLAS (SMU) – After leading SMU to its second consecutive national title, Carol Gwin has been named the 2024 National Collegiate Equestrian Association's Head Coach of the Year, with Associate Head Coach Brad Kearns earning Western Coach of the Year honors.

Gwin has now been selected as the NCEA Dual Discipline Head Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season after winning her first honor in 2023.

In her tenth season at SMU, Gwin helped the Mustangs go 12-4 and earn the program's second NCEA title, including a 7-0 home mark and seven regular season victories over ranked opponents. SMU's perfect home record further extended the Mustangs' win streak to 12-0 at the Dallas Equestrian Center in the last two seasons.

The Mustangs began and ended the season ranked first in the NCEA Dual Discipline Poll, and spent the entirety of the year spotted no lower than the third-ranked team in the nation. Gwin mentored five All-America selections and three student athletes that earned a total of six NCEA Rider of the Month awards. 15 different Mustangs claimed 37 total Most Outstanding Performer (MOP) honors in the regular season. Gwin's squad went on to claim three MOP awards at Nationals and had six All-Championship Team selections.

Kearns picks up his first Western Coach of the Year honor after leading the Mustangs to a 10-4-2 record in the Western Arena. Since arriving on the Hilltop in 2021, Kearns has helped SMU post a 30-11-6 overall record in the Western Arena. During the 2023-24 season, Kearns mentored three Western All-Americans and helped SMU Western riders outscore opponents 19-10 at Nationals to claim the program's second straight title.