No. 8 Ranked UT Martin Equestrian Opens 2024-25 Season This Weekend With Two Meets In South Dakota

Saturday, October 5

Brookings, SD

9 a.m.

UT Martin

Fresno State

Photo by: UT Martin University Relations

No. 8 Ranked UT Martin Equestrian Opens 2024-25 Season This Weekend With Two Meets In South Dakota

10/3/2024 9:00:00 AM | Equestrian

Live Scoring (Fresno State)Watch (Day 1 Indoor)Live Scoring (South Dakota State)Watch (Day 2 Indoor)

MARTIN, Tenn. – The 2024-25 University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian campaign officially begins this weekend as the Skyhawks will take on a nationally ranked opponent and an Eastern College Athletic Conference rival in Brookings, SD.

UT Martin will take on No. 10 Fresno State at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, completing the flat and reining portions of its meet before the fences and horsemanship events will take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5. After that meet concludes, the Skyhawks will battle league foe South Dakota State with an approximate noon start time. YouTube live stream and live scoring links for both matchups can be found above.

Ranked No. 8 in each of the first two National Collegiate Equestrian Association polls, UT Martin returns 28 riders from last season's squad that recorded its fourth consecutive ECAC reserve championship. Head coach Kim Leiter-Janes enters her fifth season in charge of an ascending Skyhawk program with lofty expectations.

Of those 28 returners, 11 different UT Martin student-athletes logged starts a year ago with four of those riders starting in multiple events. The headlining returner is NCEA first-team All-American Lexi Bailey, who won that award in reining (8-2-4 record, three MOP's) while also excelling in horsemanship (eight victories, one MOP). Mia McAfoos (All-ECAC honoree in horsemanship) and Kate Mills (ECAC Fences Freshman of the Year) each won seven decisions last season in their respective events and will look to follow up with another successful campaign.

The Western discipline is where the Skyhawks boast the most returning experience as Kate Davis (14 starts) and Ava Newsom (13 starts) join All-ECAC returners Bailey (14 starts) and McAfoos (14 starts) occupied the horsemanship lineup for a majority of last season. Logan Putvinski (14 starts), Aubrey Malone (13 starts), Davis (13 starts) and Elise Mason (one start) are all back alongside Bailey (14 starts) in the reining lineup.

Four UT Martin returning riders made starts in the Jumping Seat discipline in 2023-24. That list includes Elizabeth Becker (14 starts in fences, 13 starts in flat), Mills (12 starts in fences), Gabby Adams (12 starts in fences) and Bridget Vieau (12 starts in flat, two starts in fences).

A total of 12 newcomers (all freshmen) are also scheduled to make their Skyhawk debuts in 2024-25 as three-time ECAC Coach of the Year Leiter-Janes has once again prepared a challenging slate that includes a dozen regular season matchups. Eight of those meets are against teams currently in the NCEA top-10 rankings.

Following this weekend, UT Martin has a season-long three-meet homestand that begins with ECAC foe UC Davis (Oct. 18). The Skyhawks are then set to take on current No. 5 ranked Oklahoma State on Oct. 19 before hosting current No. 1 squad Auburn on Oct. 26.

A trip to Delaware wraps up the fall schedule as UT Martin faces ECAC foes South Dakota State and No. 9 Delaware State on back-to-back days (Nov. 15-16).

The spring semester opens with a road matchup at current No. 1 Auburn on Feb. 7, followed by a neutral-site meet against ECAC rival Minnesota-Crookston the following day.

The Skyhawks return home to face current No. 9 ranked ECAC rival Delaware State and two-time defending national champion No. 2 SMU on Feb. 21 and Feb. 22, respectively. A quick road trip to current No. 7 South Carolina on March 8 puts the finishing touches on the regular season.

For the first time since 2021 and third time in the last seven years, UT Martin will host a postseason event as the ECAC Championship is set to take place at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex on March 27-29.

The 2025 NCEA Championships will be held at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla. for the fourth straight season. This year's tournament is scheduled for April 17-19 as the top eight collegiate teams qualify for the opportunity to be crowned as national champions.