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Equestrian Season Opens With Scrimmage

  • Writer: Caleb Christensen
    Caleb Christensen
  • May 5, 2018
  • 3 min read


To see actual article: Click here

The South Dakota State equestrian team opens up the season on Saturday with the annual Blue and Yellow scrimmage. Start time is set for 8 a.m. at the DeHaan Equestrian Center. Here are five things to look for this season:

New Assistant Coach Logan Pluhar started this July and will take over the reigns of the Western team sharing her knowledge of both Horsemanship and Reining with the program. She brings in experience after serving as a volunteer western coach for the Texas A&M equestrian team. Before becoming a coach, she was a four-year letterwinner, two-time All-American and a member of the Reining all-SEC Team.

Home Season Opens with South Carolina The Jacks open the home season hosting NCEA National Championship rival, South Carolina on Friday, October 13. SDSU lost in the first round of nationals to the Gamecocks, 15-1.

"We're excited to host South Carolina as our first home meet of the season," head coach Ellie Wilkins said. " I can't wait to see how we compete against them on our own horses."

Eyeing the Conference Title The Jacks are back in rotation for the United Equestrian Conference championship. SMU is hosting this year's tournament in Dallas, Texas. SDSU will join the Mustangs, Bulldogs and the Hornets, last year's champions. The last time the Jackrabbits won the title was in 2014 when they hosted.

Traveling to Texas Three Times The Jackrabbits will travel to Texas three times this spring season. The first trip is set for Feb. 22-24 where the Jacks will face the Horned Frogs of TCU in Springtown then travel to Dallas to face the SMU and UT-Martin. Since SMU is hosting the conference tournament this year, SDSU will travel back to Dallas for the two-day championship. The third and final trip to the south will be April 19-21 for the 2017 NCEA National Championship in Waco.

New NCEA Nationals Format The NCEA announced in July there would be a new format for the 2018 NCEA National Championship. Leah Fiorentino, executive director of the NCEA, and the Board of Directors approved the change in format this year to plan ahead for the continued expansion of the sport. Here are a couple of the new rules: National championship event titles will now be awarded in four separate events conducted at the national championship: Equitation over Fences National Champion, Equitation on the Flat National Champion, Horsemanship National Champion and Reining National Champion. National team championship title will be awarded based on combined discipline team head-to-head bracket competition at the national championship. For more on the new format click here.

Riders to Watch: Jacey Chorlton, Jr. | Colchester, Connecticut Chorlton was named to the American Quarter Horse Association NCEA Academic Second Team and the American Paint Horse Association NCEA Academic Honor Roll. She competed in all 12 meets in Equitation on the Flat posting a 5-7 record garnering one MOP honor and a 3-6-1 mark in Equitation over Fences while scoring a career-high 80.

Taylor Duerr, Sr. | Rochester, New York Duerr posted a 605 record with two MOP honors in Equitation on the Flat, tying for second in career MOPs. The senior recorded a 2-0-1 mark in Equitation over Fences garnering one MOP accolade.

Jordan Gates, So. | Wooster, Ohio Gates recorded a 2-3 mark in the 2016-17 season after making her collegiate-debut against Minnesota-Crookston, claiming her first point of the season. She scored a 139 against South Carolina at nationals last season.

Alissa Greenwald, Sr. | Overland Park, Kansas Greenwald posted a 5-7 record in Equitation over Fences, garnering two MOP honors and scoring a career-high 87 against SMU. The senior holds the school record in Fences wins in a season.

Jessica Martinez, So. | Chandler Heights, Arizona Martinez posted a 3-5 record in Equitation on the Flat and a 4-5-1 mark with one MOP honor in Equitation over Fences. The sophomore scored a career-high 86 in Fences, garnering MOP accolades against Minnesota-Crookston.

Miranda Sullivan, Sr. | Orleans, Indiana Sullivan is competed in all 12 meets, posting a 6-6 record in Reining. The senior recorded a team-best 3-1 mark in conference action. The senior was also named to the American Quarter Horse Association NCEA Academic Second Team and the American Paint Horse Paint Horse Association NCEA Academic Honor Roll.

Mariah Wright, Sr. | Wooster, Ohio Wright posted an 8-4 mark with three Mop accolades in Reining this past season. The senior currently holds the school record in Reining MOPs in a season. The two-time all-American is four wins away from capturing the school record career wins.

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