Reining Shines As Skyhawks Push No. 1 Auburn To The Brink

Saturday, January 31

Martin, Tenn.

9:30 a.m.

UT Martin

Auburn

Photo by: Ellie Wilburn

Reining Shines As Skyhawks Push No. 1 Auburn To The Brink

1/31/2026 9:13:00 PM | Equestrian

Results

MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian team made a major push to upset the top-ranked team in the country today but Auburn managed to escape with a slim 11-8 win at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex.

The Skyhawks took four of the five points in reining against the No. 1 Tigers, led by Elise Mason's second MOP (and fourth victory) of the season. UT Martin also added a pair of wins in flat, one triumph and a tie in horsemanship and one win in fences.

Mason's 71.5 points in reining set the tone for the Skyhawks' success in that event as Payton Bundy (70.5 points) and Claire Carpenter (69.5) each posted their team-best fifth wins of the 2025-26 campaign. Stevie Brown's 65.5 points were also good enough for her second head-to-head victory of the season while Abby Tibbits (66.5 points) was UT Martin's fifth member of the scoring lineup.

Lydia Jordan claimed her team-high fourth win of the season in flat courtesy of a team-best 84-point performance. Amelia Turner also gave the Skyhawks a big lift with a career-best 82 points in her season debut, picking up another point for UT Martin. Kathleen DeGenova (83 points), Shelby Davis (82) and Camille Panuwat (74) also represented the Skyhawks in the event.

In horsemanship, Ava Jo Glenn managed the first victory of her young UT Martin career via a 68.5-point performance. Carpenter made it an unbeaten day as her career-high 75.5 points equaled her head-to-head competitor from Auburn. The Skyhawks also dialed up solid scores from Ruby Gunderson (73.5), Kailyn Veale (71.5) and Olivia Wynn (70.5) in that event.

DeGenova soared to her fourth victory of the season in fences with an 80-point effort. Kate Mills collected a team-high 82 points while Averey Pritchard (80 points), Audrey Morris (79) and Daphne Stavig (75) completed the event's scoring for UT Martin.

The Skyhawks will now take a three-week break before returning to official competition with their final two home meets of the season as UT Martin will take on Eastern College Athletic Conference rivals Delaware State and Minnesota-Crookston on Feb. 20-21.