JACKRABBITS EDGED IN SEMIFINALS BY UTM

Tuesday, March 26

Rancho Murieta, Calif.

9 a.m. PT/11 a.m. CT

South Dakota State University

UT Martin

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

3/26/2024 9:49:00 PM | Equestrian

RANCHO MURIETA, Calif. — South Dakota State held advantages in flat and reining, but top-seeded UT Martin came away with a 11-9 victory in the semifinals of the ECAC Dual Discipline Equestrian Championship Wednesday afternoon at the Murieta Equestrian Center.

The fourth-seeded Jackrabbits wrapped up their season with a 4-8 record in head-to-head competition. UT Martin improved to 6-7 overall and will face second-seeded and host UC Davis in Wednesday's championship matchup.

SDSU began the day with a 3-2 edge in reining. Shelby Cochran (71.75), Paige Butterfield (69) and Emilie Strahm (68.5) earned the victories for the Jackrabbits in their head-to-head matchups, with Cochran being named the Most Outstanding Performer.

The momentum began to shift in favor of UT Martin when the Skyhawks claimed four of the five available points in fences. Sophia Kregoski tallied the lone point for SDSU with a high score of 81.5 that also earned her MOP honors in the event.

The Skyhawks also earned four points in horsemanship to build a 10-5 lead heading into the final event. Cochran, a senior from Oxford, Iowa, completed a 2-0 afternoon by winning her matchup over Ava Newsom, 68.25-66.5

SDSU nearly pulled off the sweep in flat, which would have sent the meet to a tiebreaker, but had to settle for four of the five points. Kate Koehl received MOP recognition with her 73-58 victory over UTM's Haley Kane on Meni, while Cali Karbler registered the high score in the event with 78.5 points. Julia Werkhoven (60 points) and Hannah Steele (68.5) were also victorious for the Jackrabbits.

What turned out to be the decisive team point was decided by a half-point in raw score as the Skyhawks' Sophia Sundem clipped Kregoski, 71.5-71, in their head-to-head-meeting on Marco.

UP NEXT
The eight-team field for the NCEA National Championships will be announced following the completion of conference championship events later this week.

#1 UT MARTIN 11, #4 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 9
Fences
Haley Kane (UTM) def. Cali Karbler (SDSU), 81-76.5 [Otis]
Elizabeth Becker (UTM) def. Julia Werkhoven (SDSU), 78-62.5 [Calida]
Kate Mills (UTM) def. Kate Koehl (SDSU), 73-69.5 [Classico]
Sydney Hott (UTM) def. Hannah Steele (SDSU), 80-61.5 [Cam]
*Sophia Kregoski (SDSU) def. Gabby Adams (UTM), 81.5-66.5 [Glennis]
Flat
Cali Karbler (SDSU) def. Sydney Hott (UTM), 78.5-75.5 [Cappo]
Sophia Sundem (UTM) def. Sophia Kregoski (SDSU), 71.5-71 [Marco]
Hannah Steele (SDSU) def. Bridget Vieau (UTM), 68.5-57.5 [Latte]
*Kate Koehl (SDSU) def. Haley Kane (UTM), 73-58 [Meni]
Julia Werkhoven (SDSU) def. Elizabeth Becker (UTM), 60-51 [Lady]
Horsemanship
Kate Davis (UTM) def. Brighton McBride (SDSU), 74.25-72.75 [Hallie]
Lexi Bailey (UTM) def. Annika Hanson (SDSU), 73.75-71 [Boss]
Shelby Cochran (SDSU) def. Ava Newsom (UTM), 68.25-66.5 [Thirty-nine]
*Emma Schaefer (UTM) def. Grace Gerbus (SDSU), 76.25-70 [Trey]
Mia McAfoos (UTM) def. Paige Wellendorf (SDSU), 74.25-73.5 [Bella]
Reining
*Shelby Cochran (SDSU) def. Kate Davis (UTM), 71.75-71.5 [Mr. T]
Logan Putvinski (UTM) def. Adisyn Kuxhaus (SDSU), 70-69.25 [Belle]
Emilie Strahm (SDSU) def. Aubrey Malone (UTM), 68.5-66.75 [Camacho]
Emma Schaefer (UTM) def. Maryn Mead (SDSU), 71-68.25 [Bonnie]
Paige Butterfield (SDSU) def. Lexi Bailey (UTM), 69-68.5 [Blue]
Notes: * denotes Most Outstanding Performer (MOP); horse name in brackets

-GoJacks.com-