UT Martin Starts 2026-27 Equestrian Campaign This Week With Two Meets In Delaware

Friday, October 2

Dover, Del.

8:35 a.m.

UT Martin

Baylor

Photo by: Ellie Wilburn

UT Martin Starts 2026-27 Equestrian Campaign This Week With Two Meets In Delaware

9/30/2026 5:25:00 PM | Equestrian

DOVER, Del. – Year Seven of the Kim Leiter-Janes Era at the University of Tennessee at Martin begins this week as the No. 10 ranked Skyhawk equestrian squad competes against Baylor (Friday, Oct. 2) and Eastern College Athletic Conference rival Delaware State (Saturday, Oct. 3) in Dover, Del.

This weekend opens a challenging 2026-27 schedule for UT Martin as the Skyhawks also head to Brookings, SD for ECAC matchups against South Dakota State and Minnesota-Crookston (Oct. 30-31) later this month. The fall semester concludes with home outings against ECAC foe South Dakota State and current No. 2 South Carolina on Nov. 20-21.

A busy spring slate starts with meets against current No. 3 Auburn and Minnesota-Crookston on Feb. 5 in Auburn, Ala. before a road contest the following day at current No. 4 Georgia. The final three regular season meets are all at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex as UT Martin will host current No. 1 Texas A&M (Feb. 12), ECAC foe Delaware State (Feb. 26) and current No. 5 SMU (Feb. 27).

The 2027 ECAC Championship tournament will be held in Brookings, SD as this year's event will take place on March 26-27. The NCEA Championships will once again be hosted at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla. on April 15-17.

Leiter-Janes brings back 29 returners (16 Western, 13 Jumping Seat) from last season's squad, including NCEA Ariat All-America second team horsemanship selection Ruby Gunderson. A junior from Ephrata, Wash., Gunderson won nine decisions a year ago – the second-most for that event in Skyhawk single-season history – on the way to All-ECAC accolades.

UT Martin returns four All-ECAC honorees from 2025-26 as Kate Mills (28 career wins, four MOP's in both Jumping Seat events), Kathleen DeGenova (12 combined victories, two MOP's in both Jumping Seat events last season) and Payton Bundy (team-best seven wins in reining in 2025-26).

"We have a strong group of talented upperclassmen returning in all four events with a nice young group as well," said Leiter-Janes, who has nabbed four ECAC Coach of the Year awards. "Last year we had a lot of first-time starters and we had to learn some things. This year, they know what it's about. They've worked hard this preseason and came back hungry with a little bit of fire – we're ready to get started."

In addition to Mills (co-team-high seven victories) and DeGenova (six wins), the trio of Averey Pritchard (co-team-high seven triumphs), Caroline Krier (team-best 82.3 regular season scoring average) and Audrey Morris (starts in the final 13 meets of the season) are back in fences. Ten of the 12 Skyhawks who logged starts in flat last season return, including DeGenova (team-high six wins), Mills (team-best 78.3 regular season scoring average), Shelby Davis (started in all 14 meets) and Lydia Jordan (13 starts). Payton Lussen, who received the 2025 ECAC Flat Freshman of the Year award, is also back after missing last season due to injury.

Like fences, UT Martin returns five of its six riders who started in horsemanship. Joining Gunderson as returning starters are Olivia Wynn (seven victories), Ava Jo Glenn (team-best 73.9 regular season scoring average, six wins with two MOP's in nine appearances), Ava Newsom (nine starts) and Claire Carpenter (seven starts). All five Skyhawks who earned a start in reining last season are back, a list that includes Bundy, Elise Mason (16 career victories with five MOP's), Stevie Brown (team-best seven wins last season alongside Bundy), Carpenter (six triumphs in 2025-26) and Abby Tibbits (six victories, two MOP's last season).

A dozen newcomers (seven Western, five Jumping Seat) grace the 2026-27 Skyhawk roster as 11 freshmen join sophomore transfer Ryann Mitchell (10 starts in flat, seven starts in fences at Minnesota-Crookston last season).