11/5/2026 12:17:00 PM | Equestrian
DANBURY, Conn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian program brought home three Eastern College Athletic Conference awards for October as the league announced Caroline Krier as the Fences Rider of the Month, Ava Newsom as the Horsemanship Rider of the Month and Ruby Gunderson as the Standout Student-Athlete of the Month today.
Krier earns her second ECAC recognition this week as she was previously crowned as ECAC Rider of the Week on Tuesday. The sophomore out of Parker, Colo. was a perfect 3-0 this month with each victory coming on the road against a league opponent. She won her season debut on Oct. 3 at Delaware State with a 73-point performance before following that with a pair of impressive rides last weekend. Her career-high 88-point effort helped set the tone for a Skyhawk victory over then-No. 10 South Dakota State on Oct. 30 before she recorded 86 points on the way to MOP accolades the following day against Minnesota-Crookston. Overall, she accounted for a team-best 82.3 scoring average in October.
A senior from Lebanon, Ind., Newsom also collects her second ECAC award of the young 2026-27 season as she was named the league's Horsemanship Rider of the Week on Oct. 6. She also nabbed three victories this month to go along with a MOP medal in UT Martin's triumph at then-No. 10 South Dakota State on Oct. 30. Her season-opening neutral-site win against Baylor featured 71.5 points on Oct. 2 as she followed that with a season-best 75.25 effort in a victory at Delaware State the next day. She then garnered 74.5 points in the aforementioned South Dakota State matchup, which was good enough for MOP status. After tallying 67 points at Minnesota-Crookston on Oct. 31, her monthly scoring average populated at 72.1.
Gunderson was the recipient of the ECAC Standout Student-Athlete of the Month award after she was responsible for a team-best 73.3 scoring average in horsemanship to begin the 2026-27 campaign. She has maintained a flawless 4.0 Grade Point Average while majoring in accounting. The junior out of Ephrata, Wash. additionally played an instrumental role in organizing the team's annual Blue & Orange Social, a significant fundraising event to support the self-funded Skyhawk program. She also serves on the Team Bonding Committee and the NCEA Athletes Committee, consistently finding ways to contribute beyond the arena.
UT Martin rounds out its fall slate later this month, making its first appearances inside the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex in 2026-27 with home tilts against ECAC rival South Dakota State (Nov. 20) and current No. 2 South Carolina (Nov. 21).
Krier earns her second ECAC recognition this week as she was previously crowned as ECAC Rider of the Week on Tuesday. The sophomore out of Parker, Colo. was a perfect 3-0 this month with each victory coming on the road against a league opponent. She won her season debut on Oct. 3 at Delaware State with a 73-point performance before following that with a pair of impressive rides last weekend. Her career-high 88-point effort helped set the tone for a Skyhawk victory over then-No. 10 South Dakota State on Oct. 30 before she recorded 86 points on the way to MOP accolades the following day against Minnesota-Crookston. Overall, she accounted for a team-best 82.3 scoring average in October.
A senior from Lebanon, Ind., Newsom also collects her second ECAC award of the young 2026-27 season as she was named the league's Horsemanship Rider of the Week on Oct. 6. She also nabbed three victories this month to go along with a MOP medal in UT Martin's triumph at then-No. 10 South Dakota State on Oct. 30. Her season-opening neutral-site win against Baylor featured 71.5 points on Oct. 2 as she followed that with a season-best 75.25 effort in a victory at Delaware State the next day. She then garnered 74.5 points in the aforementioned South Dakota State matchup, which was good enough for MOP status. After tallying 67 points at Minnesota-Crookston on Oct. 31, her monthly scoring average populated at 72.1.
Gunderson was the recipient of the ECAC Standout Student-Athlete of the Month award after she was responsible for a team-best 73.3 scoring average in horsemanship to begin the 2026-27 campaign. She has maintained a flawless 4.0 Grade Point Average while majoring in accounting. The junior out of Ephrata, Wash. additionally played an instrumental role in organizing the team's annual Blue & Orange Social, a significant fundraising event to support the self-funded Skyhawk program. She also serves on the Team Bonding Committee and the NCEA Athletes Committee, consistently finding ways to contribute beyond the arena.
UT Martin rounds out its fall slate later this month, making its first appearances inside the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex in 2026-27 with home tilts against ECAC rival South Dakota State (Nov. 20) and current No. 2 South Carolina (Nov. 21).
Players Mentioned
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