Ahead of this week’s fall finale against nationally ranked South Carolina, UTM slid up to the No. 9 position in this week’s National Collegiate Equestrian Association Farnam team rankings.
Auburn remained at No. 1 while No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Oklahoma State were ranked ahead of No. 4 South Carolina, who the Skyhawks will take on Friday on the road. The top-10 was rounded out by No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 6 Fresno State, No. 7 TCU, No. 8 SMU, No. 9 UT Martin and No. 10 Baylor.
The Skyhawks’ matchup against South Carolina will be the fourth time this season that UTM has squared off against a nationally ranked opponent. The Skyhawks own a 2-2 record during the 2019-20 campaign but have not lost since Sept. 20.
UTM has notched 25 victories on the season, led by nine wins in horsemanship. The Skyhawks have also tallied seven reining victories, six wins in flat and three victories in fences.
Paige Benson (team-best three wins), Bailey Newlin (team-high 73.9 scoring average) and Devon Woods have each nabbed MOP accolades in horsemanship. Tess Baumann (team-bests of three wins and 70.4 scoring average) and Noel Meadows have both picked up most outstanding player (MOP) honors in reining.
Abbie Hopkins leads UTM’s flat squad with three victories and a 75.8 scoring average. Her and Kelby Kane have each tallied MOP honors in that event this season. In fences, Kane (one MOP), Savannah Metheny (team-high 78.7 scoring average) and Grace Rogers are each responsible for head-to-head victories.
