SDSU SEEDED SECOND FOR ECAC CHAMPIONSHIP

Friday, March 27

Harrington, Del.

10:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. CT

South Dakota State University

UT Martin

A South Dakota State equestrian Western rider and horse wait for their turn in the competition ring during action against Delaware State in February 2026 at the DeHaan Equestrian Center in Brookings, South Dakota.

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

3/25/2026 4:22:00 PM | Equestrian

South Dakota State has been awarded the No. 2 seed in this week's ECAC Equestrian Championship and will square off against No. 3 UT Martin Friday morning in Harrington, Delaware.

Head-to-head competition is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time (9:30 a.m. Central) inside Quillen Arena at the Delaware State Fairgrounds.

SDSU earned the No. 2 seed after finishing the ECAC regular season with a 5-3 record. Overall, the Jackrabbits enter postseason competition with a 5-7 record. UTM is 4-9 overall and 4-4 against ECAC foes.

The five-team tournament begins Thursday with fourth-seeded and host Delaware State taking on No. 5 Minnesota Crookston. The winner of that matchup will advance to meet top-seeded UC Davis at 9 a.m. ET Friday.

Winners of Friday's semifinals will compete in the championship round at 9 a.m. ET Saturday, with the champion earning a berth in next month's NCEA Championships.

SEASON SERIES: South Dakota State and UT Martin split the regular season series, with each team winning in its home arena. The Jackrabbits scored a 10-7 Oct. 4 at the DeHaan Equestrian Center to close out a 2-0 home weekend to open the campaign.

UT Martin followed suit by claiming a 15-5 victory on Oct. 31 at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex in Martin, Tennessee.

Individually, two Jackrabbit seniors were victorious in both of their meetings against UT Martin during the regular season. Juliana Gullo was a two-time winner in fences, while Adisyn Kuxhaus claimed two victories in reining.

THE LINEUP: Following is the projected South Dakota State lineup for the ECAC Championship:

Fences	Record	Scoring Avg.
Kendyl Rudolf, Jr., Zionsville, Ind.	2-4-0	68.2
Sarah Gould, Jr., Carmel, Ind.	3-6-0 (1 MOP)	77.4
Juliana Gullo, Sr., Itasca, Ill.	7-5-0 (2 MOP)	75.8
Heidi White, Fr., Senoia, Ga.	3-9-0 (1 MOP)	76.2
Isabelle Malick, So., Colorado Springs, Colo.	8-4-0 (1 MOP)	80.7
Alternate: Brooke Borges, Jr., Osceola, Fla.	1-6-0	75.1
Flat	Record	Scoring Avg.
Juliana Gullo, Sr. Itasca, Ill.	6-5-1 (1 MOP)	74.5
Heidi White, Fr., Senoia, Ga.	3-7-0	73.3
Isabelle Malick, So., Colorado Springs, Colo.	5-7-0 (1 MOP)	73.8
Kayla Scherer, Jr., Fort Collins, Colo.	4-6-0 (1 MOP)	71.3
Sierra Elliott, Jr., Harmony, Fla.	4-8-0 (1 MOP)	72.3
Alternate: Brooke Borges, Jr., Osceola, Fla.	0-0-0	N/A
Horsemanship	Record	Scoring Avg.
Anna Minich, So., LaPorte, Ind.	6-5-1	71.7
Avery Bergan, So., Baldwin City, Kan.	6-6-0 (1 MOP)	72.2
Hailey Hanson, So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.	4-8-0 (1 MOP)	72.1
Grace Gerbus, Sr., Pendleton, Ky.	4-6-0 (1 MOP)	71.9
Hannah Dutton, Jr., Mount Vernon, Wash.	0-3-0	71.3
Alternate: Brighton McBride, Sr., Overland Park, Kan.	2-7-0	70.3
Reining	Record	Scoring Avg.
Adisyn Kuxhaus, Sr., Pierre, S.D.	7-4-1 (3 MOP)	69.0
Maryn Mead, Jr., Norfolk, Neb.	5-6-1 (1 MOP)	68.5
Lillie Wallis, So., Chesterfield, Mo.	5-5-1 (1 MOP)	68.3
Emma Riggs, So., Alexandria, S.D.	6-2-4 (2 MOP)	70.0
Hailey Hanson, So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.	5-5-1	62.2
Alternate: Brighton McBride, So., Overland Park, Kan.	0-0-0	N/A

GULLO HONORED: Senior Juliana Gullo was honored as ECAC Fences Rider of the Week on March 8 after splitting two matchups in the event the previous weekend.

A native of Itasca, Illinois, Gullo dropped an 85-78 decision to Alyssa Bauer of South Carolina on March 6, but came back with an 81-76 victory the next day against Kaylnn Berry of Delaware State to earn Most Outstanding Performer honors. Gullo also was MOP in flat versus Delaware State, posting a 71-62 head-to-head victory over Sarah Hoffmeyer.

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 2026 NCEA National Championship is slated for April 16-18 at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida. Eight dual-discipline teams will compete in a single-elimination tournament over three days.

-GoJacks.com-