EQUESTRIAN FIRST HALF WRAPS UP AT UT MARTIN

MEET 4: South Dakota State (1-2, 1-1 ECAC) at UT Martin (1-3, 1-0 ECAC)

When	Friday, Nov. 18 \| 10 a.m.
Where	Ned McWherter Agricultural Pavilion \| Martin, Tennessee
TV	None
Results	Live Results
Meet Notes	See Below
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook

The South Dakota State equestrian team closes out the fall portion of its schedule Friday with a trip to ninth-ranked UT Martin.

Head-to-head competition is slated for a 10 a.m. start at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Pavilion in Martin, Tennessee. The Jackrabbits enter the matchup with a 1-2 record in head-to-head competition, while UT Martin is 1-3. SDSU is 1-1 against ECAC opponents this season, while the Skyhawks are 1-0.

UT Martin has defeated the Jackrabbits in each of their last three meetings, including sweeping the season series a year ago. The Skyhawks topped SDSU, 10-8, in competition held Oct. 15, 2021, in Brookings, then posted a 14-6 victory in Martin, Tennessee, on March 11, 2022.

SDSU and the Skyhawks are scheduled to meet again Feb. 24 at the DeHaan Equestrian Center in Brookings. The Jackrabbits also are slated to host the ECAC Championship March 23-25.

THE LINEUP: Following is the probable lineup for South Dakota State in its head-to-head competition at UT Martin:

WESTERN	JUMPING SEAT
Horsemanship	Fences
Shelby Cochran, Sr., Center Point, Iowa	Cali Karbler, Jr. Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Callyn Fox, Jr., Oxford, Iowa	Rachel Darby, Sr., Rensselaer, N.Y.
Grace Blake, Jr., Traer, Iowa	Ella Domenicone, So., Roswell, Ga.
Annika Hanson, Sr., Hugo, Minn.	Sophia Kregoski, Fr., Rescue, Calif.
Paige Wellendorf, So., Kearney, Mo.	Samantha Hunsecker, Sr., Lansing, Kan.
Alternate: Rachel Retterath; Exhibition: Brighton McBride	Alternate: Kate Koehl; Exhibition: Virginia Klecker
Reining	Flat
Cassandra Townsend, Sr., Andover, S.D.	Cali Karbler, Jr., Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Isabelle Riggs, Sr., Alexandria, S.D.	Mikaela Haskins, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.
Lydia Loken, So., Gunnison, Colo.	Hannah Steele, So., Woodstock, Ga.
Paige Butterfield, Fr., Lapeer, Mich.	Julia Werkhoven, Jr., Tempe, Ariz.
Adisyn Kuxhaus, Fr., Pierre, S.D.	Rachel Head, Sr., Houston, Texas
Alternate: Grace Blake; Exhibition: Presley Biwer	Alternate: Rachel Darby; Exhibition: Virginia Klecker

RABBIT RECAP: The Jackrabbits dropped a pair of head-to-head competitions to ranked opponents in Davis, California, in their most recent action Oct. 28-29.

UC Davis 13, South Dakota State 5
Cassandra Townsend earned Most Outstanding Performer honors in reining to lead South Dakota State, but the ninth-ranked UC Davis equestrian team earned three or more points in all four events to defeat the Jackrabbits, 13-5.

UC Davis jumped out to a 3-2 lead in a high-scoring fences competition that was highlighted by a top score of 90 by the Aggies' Carly Sweeny. SDSU's points came on rides from Samantha Hunsecker (88) and Ella Domenicone (86), while Sophia Kregoski and Kali Karbler dropped narrow decisions despite respective scores of 81 and 80.

Domenicone was a two-time winner for the Jackrabbits versus UC Davis, picking up SDSU's lone point in flat by posting a 76-71 victory over Nicole Beales in their head-to-head matchup.

Rachel Darby posted SDSU's highest score in flat with 87.5 points, but was upended by the Aggies' Marin Gilliland, who scored a 90. Hannah Steele followed with an 87 in her matchup with Tasia Anstead, but could only come away with a tie.

In the Western events, Townsend was the lone Jackrabbit winner in reining with her score of 70. Freshman Paige Butterfield turned in the team's highest score with a 71, but settled for a tie with UC Davis' Kendal Scheiner.

Horsemanship was closely contest as UC Davis held an eight-point advantage (356.5-348.5) in raw score and picked up four of the five points. Paige Wellendorf notched the lone Jackrabbit victory in the event by edging Caroline Korell, 70-69.5. Annika Hanson posted the squad's top score in horsemanship with a 71.5.

Georgia 13, South Dakota State 3
Fourth-ranked Georgia swept the jumping seats events to defeat the Jackrabbits, 13-3, in a competition that was spread over two days.

Shelby Cochran picked up the only point for the Jackrabbits on Day 1 with a score of 72 in her horsemanship matchup. Paige Wellendorf also tallied a 72-point ride in horsemanship, but was edged by a half point by Georgia's Sara Lewis.

SDSU picked up two more points in reining in the Saturday portion of the meet. Isabelle Riggs won her matchup with a score of 71, while Cassandra Townsend closed the meet with a point-producing score of 72.5.

Three of SDSU's four riders in fences posted scores of 80 or higher, but the Jackrabbits were swept in the event as their Georgia counterparts responded with resepective scores of 84, 85 and 87. Kate Koehl led the Jackrabbits with a score of 82, followed by Samantha Hunsecker with an 81 and Hannah Steele with an 80.

Cali Karbler posted the high score for the Jackrabbits in flat with a 78, but dropped her matchup as Georgia completed a 4-0 sweep in the event.

TOWNSEND LEADS JACKS: Cassandra Townsend has earned Most Outstanding Performer (MOP) honors in reining in each of the Jackrabbits' three head-to-head competitions so far this season. A senior from Andover, Townsend is averaging 71.3 points per ride, including a season-best 72.5 points last time out against Georgia on Oct. 29.

The Jackrabbit reining squad has combined for a 6-5-2 record in their matchups this season, with Townsend going a perfect 3-0.

A LOOK AHEAD: South Dakota State will be away from competition until a three-day trip to Texas in late January. The Jackrabbits are set to square off against TCU (Jan. 26), Texas A&M (Jan. 27) and Baylor (Jan. 28) in what will be their final road trip of the regular season.

-GoJacks.com-

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Players Mentioned

Presley Biwer

Grace Blake

Paige Butterfield

Shelby Cochran

Rachel Darby

Ella Domenicone

Callyn Fox

Annika Hanson

Mikaela Haskins

Rachel Head

Samantha Hunsecker

Cali Karbler

Virginia Klecker

Kate Koehl

Sophia Kregoski

Adisyn Kuxhaus

Lydia Loken

Brighton McBride

Rachel Retterath

Isabelle Riggs

Hannah Steele

Cassandra Townsend

Paige Wellendorf

Julia Werkhoven

Upcoming Event: Equestrian at Minnesota Crookston on November 22, 2025 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Equestrian versus TCU on February 6, 2026 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Equestrian versus Delaware State on February 7, 2026 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Equestrian versus UC Davis on February 21, 2026 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Equestrian versus Delaware State on March 6, 2026 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Equestrian at South Carolina on March 7, 2026 at TBA

Completed Event: Equestrian versus South Carolina on October 31, 2025 , Loss , 3, to, 12

Completed Event: Equestrian at UT Martin on October 31, 2025 , Loss , 5, to, 15

Completed Event: Equestrian at UC Davis on October 11, 2025 , Loss , 7, to, 12

Completed Event: Equestrian at Fresno State on October 10, 2025 , Loss , 4, to, 15

Completed Event: Equestrian versus UT Martin on October 4, 2025 , Win , 10, to, 7

Completed Event: Equestrian versus Minnesota Crookston on October 3, 2025 , Win , 16, to, 4

South Dakota State University Athletics