JACKS COMPLETE HOME SLATE WITH NO. 9 UC DAVIS

Saturday, February 21

Brookings, S.D.

7:30 a.m.

South Dakota State University

UC Davis

South Dakota State equestrian student-athletes warm up horses in preparation for the flat event in competition against TCU on Feb. 6, 2026, at the DeHaan Equestrian Center in Brookings, South Dakota.

Photo by: SDSU Athletics

2/20/2026 2:15:00 PM | Equestrian

EQUESTRIAN: #9 UC Davis (5-7, 4-0 ECAC) at #10 South Dakota State (4-5, 4-2 ECAC)

When	Saturday, Feb. 21 \| 7:30 a.m.
Where	DeHaan Equestrian Center \| Brookings, South Dakota
Live Video	SDSU YouTube Channel
Live Results	Live Scoring
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #GoJacks

The 10th-ranked South Dakota State equestrian team closes out the home portion of its schedule by hosting No. 9 UC Davis in head-to-head ECAC competition Saturday morning.

Start time is slated for 7:30 a.m. at the DeHaan Equestrian Center.

The Jackrabbits enter the Senior Day matchup with a 4-5 overall record and a 4-2 mark against ECAC opponents. In its last action, SDSU kicked off a three-meet homestand by splitting head-to-head matchups against No. 7 TCU (L, 6-14) on Feb. 6 and Delaware State (W, 11-8) the following day.

UC Davis, meanwhile, is perfect in ECAC competitions with a 4-0 mark and holds a 5-7 overall record in head-to-head matchups, including a 12-7 victory over the Jackrabbits on Oct. 11 in Davis, California. The Aggies claimed a 16-3 home victory over Minnesota Crookston on Feb. 6 in their most recent action.

SDSU's senior class will be honored at the conclusion of Saturday's competition.

FIRST MEETING: Isabelle Malick and Hailey Hanson were each two-time winners for South Dakota State, but UC Davis held a big advantage in the jumping seat events to take a 12-7 decision in the first meeting of the season between the two squads in October..

The Aggies won eight of 10 jumping seat points despite Malick's two victories for the Jackrabbits. The SDSU rider recorded an 82-80 victory over UCD's Cavan Smith in fences, then scored a 78-75 win in flat against Anna Donovan.

Hanson, meanwhile, earned two victories in Western competition. She rode to a 75.5-72 victory against Addyson Brown in horsemanship, then notched a one-point, 70.5-69.5 win in reining over former Jackrabbit Ada Hirschfeld.

Anna Minich recorded a second point for SDSU in horsemanship with a narrow 72-71.5 victory over Eliza Plum, while Emma Riggs and Maryn Mead helped give the Jackrabbits a 3-2 advantage in reining with individual wins. Riggs rode to a 71-0 victory in her matchup, while Mead earned a 70.5-69 win against Mylea Trimble.

THE LINEUP: Following is the projected South Dakota State lineup for Saturday's competition:

Fences	Record	Scoring Avg.
Brooke Borges, Jr. Osceola, Fla.	1-4-0	76.0
Sarah Gould, Jr., Carmel, Ind.	2-4-0 (1 MOP)	79.8
Juliana Gullo, Sr., Itasca, Ill.	6-3-0 (1 MOP)	75.0
Heidi White, Fr., Senoia, Ga.	2-7-0 (1 MOP)	75.7
Isabelle Malick, So., Colorado Springs, Colo.	6-3-0 (1 MOP)	81.1
Alternate: Kendyl Rudolf, Jr., Zionsville, Ind.	2-4-0	68.2
Flat	Record	Scoring Avg.
Juliana Gullo, Sr. Itasca, Ill.	4-4-1	76.1
Heidi White, Fr., Senoia, Ga.	2-5-0	75.0
Isabelle Malick, So., Colorado Springs, Colo.	3-6-0 (1 MOP)	76.4
Kayla Scherer, Jr., Fort Collins, Colo.	3-5-0 (1 MOP)	73.0
Sierra Elliott, Jr., Harmony, Fla.	4-5-0 (1 MOP)	74.9
Alternate: Brooke Borges, Jr., Osceola, Fla.	0-0-0	N/A
Horsemanship	Record	Scoring Avg.
Anna Minich, So., LaPorte, Ind.	5-3-1	71.9
Avery Bergan, So., Baldwin City, Kan.	3-6-0 (1 MOP)	72.3
Hailey Hanson, So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.	4-5-0 (1 MOP)	72.1
Grace Gerbus, Sr., Pendleton, Ky.	3-4-0	71.4
Brighton McBride, Sr., Overland Park, Kan.	2-6-0	70.9
Alternate: Maryn Mead, Jr., Norfolk, Neb.	0-0-0	N/A
Reining	Record	Scoring Avg.
Adisyn Kuxhaus, Sr., Pierre, S.D.	6-2-1 (2 MOP)	69.2
Maryn Mead, Jr., Norfolk, Neb.	3-5-1 (1 MOP)	68.6
Lillie Wallis, So., Chesterfield, Mo.	4-4-1 (1 MOP)	68.6
Emma Riggs, So., Alexandria, S.D.	5-2-2 (1 MOP)	70.0
Hailey Hanson, So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.	4-4-0	67.9
Alternate: Avery Bergan, So., Baldwin City, Kan.	0-0-0	N/A

COACH WERKHOVEN: One of the most successful riders in program history and more recently an assistant coach, Julia Werkhoven was selected to lead the Jackrabbit equestrian program in January 2026.
"Through her time competing here and more recently as an assistant coach, Julia knows what South Dakota State University is all about," Sell said. "What stands out with Julia is her commitment to providing our student-athletes with the best possible experience."

Werkhoven holds the distinction of being the only Jackrabbit to earn All-America honors in two separate seasons. She earned honorable mention recognition in flat from Ariat and the National Collegiate Equestrian Association in both 2022 and 2024.

A native of Tempe, Arizona, Werkhoven also received all-academic accolades at the conference and national level. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in business economics in 2023 and completed a master's degree in economics at SDSU a year later.

Following graduation, Werkhoven worked locally as an assistant trainer at Bay View Farms. She returned to the Jackrabbit equestrian program as assistant coach for the jumping seat events in September and helped lead the team to a 3-4 record in head-to-head competitions through the first half of the season, as well as a top-10 ranking for the first time since March 2021.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits complete the regular season by traveling to Blythewood, South Carolina, for two head-to-head competitions. SDSU is set to square off against Delaware State on March 6, followed by a March 7 matchup versus host and second-ranked South Carolina.

The ECAC Championship is slated for March 26-28 in Harrington, Delaware.

-GoJacks.com-