SKYHAWK EQUESTRIAN ADVANCES TO ECAC CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS AFTER DRAMATIC RAW POINTS VICTORY AT DELAWARE STATE

Friday, March 25

Harrington, Del.

9 a.m.

UT Martin

Delaware State

Photo by: Haley Kane

SKYHAWK EQUESTRIAN ADVANCES TO ECAC CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS AFTER DRAMATIC RAW POINTS VICTORY AT DELAWARE STATE

3/25/2022 9:51:00 PM | Equestrian

Results

HARRINGTON, Del. – Trailing 10-6 with four points yet to be awarded, the University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian squad rallied for a thrilling victory today in the Eastern College Athletic Conference semifinals against No. 3 seed Delaware State.

The No. 2 seed Skyhawks faced a 9-6 deficit heading into flat – the final portion of today's meet. UT Martin quickly gained momentum and ended the day with four unanswered points – equaling the final score at 10-all. After the raw points were tallied, the Skyhawks earned the right to advance after generating 3,986.25 points to the Hornets' 3,931.

UT Martin piled up three MOP's on the day, including Tyler Anderson (170 points in fences), Paige Benson (150 points in horsemanship) and Kelby Kane (167 points in flat).

Overall, the Skyhawks nabbed four wins in fences, two victories in horsemanship and four triumphs in flat – defeating tournament host Delaware State for the second time in three matchups this season.

The fences lineup got UT Martin off to a remarkable start. Anderson's first MOP of the season was also good enough for her third head-to-head win. Haley Kane notched 163 points for her 10^th victory of the 2021-22 campaign while Elizabeth Becker posted her sixth win of the year following a 148-point effort. Julia Gilman racked up her eighth victory of the season with 140 points as the Skyhawks took an early 4-1 advantage.

The reining portion was next as the Hornets came out blazing – sweeping all five points to take a 6-4 lead midway through the meet. Kate Davis led the way for UT Martin with 140 points and was followed by Brooke Bradley (137.5), Logan Putvinski (137), Aubrey Malone (136.5) and Lexi Bailey (133.5).

Benson's second horsemanship MOP of the season followed as the junior from Spokane, Wash. produced 150 points for her third triumph of the year. Katelyn Schultz's 149 points resulted in her sixth victory of the year. Davis (147), Emma Schaefer (143.5) and Keely Seiter (134.5) completed the Skyhawk lineup but Delaware State was responsible for a 9-6 lead heading into flat.

UT Martin came up short with the first point in flat, forcing a perfect 4-for-4 finish for an opportunity to advance. It turns out that the Skyhawks were up to the challenge as Kelby Kane's MOP performance (seventh win of the season) began the run. Sophia Sundem (160.5 points) and Haley Kane (141.5 points) each came away with their fourth victories of the year to set the stage for the final point. With Mahalia Alascio's 160 points already in the books, her head-to-head competitor recorded a score of 121, extending UT Martin's season.

The 2022 ECAC Championship finals is set for 9 a.m. CST tomorrow as the Skyhawks will square off against top-seeded (and No. 7 nationally ranked) SMU. The two squads split a pair of regular season matchups as UT Martin won 9-6 in Fenton, Del. on Oct. 2 while the Mustangs claimed a 16-4 home win on Jan. 27.