The UTM equestrian squad wrapped up the regular season this afternoon, falling 17-2 to No. 6 Georgia and by a slim 8-7 margin to Delaware State.
The Skyhawks began their day with the matchup against Georgia, earning both points in reining. Hannah McDonald and Brooke Bradley each tallied 71 points apiece and came away with head-to-head victories for UTM.
Kelbey Kane’s 86 points in flat was good enough for a draw while Abbie Hopkins (83) and Bailey Newlin (76) registered team-high scores in fences and horsemanship, respectively.
The Skyhawks bounced back with several notable individual efforts against Delaware State, as Grace Rogers (fences), Hopkins (flat) and McDonald (reining) all garnered MOP accolades in their respective events. However, UTM was narrowly edged by a Hornets squad who avenged an 11-9 loss to the Skyhawks back on Oct. 11.
The Delaware State competition was extremely close as fences, flat and reining were all split 2-2. The Hornets were awarded two of the three points awarded in horsemanship and that proved to be the difference.
In fences, Rogers’ 82-point performance paced the Skyhawks and led to her first MOP of the season. Kane also earned her fourth triumph of the season with 79.5 points.
Hopkins’ 89 points in flat resulted in her eighth victory and third MOP of the 2019-20 campaign. Kane provided UTM’s other win in the event with an 83-point effort for her sixth victory of the season.
McDonald resumed her undefeated day with an impressive 72 points in reining, bringing home her fifth win and first MOP of the year. The Skyhawks’ other victory came via Tess Baumman’s 67.5 points as she equaled McDonald with her co-team-high fifth win in 2019-20.
In horsemanship, Newlin earned her fourth victory of the season after accumulating 74.5 points. Devon Woods 74 was tied with her head-to-head competitor but Delaware State was able to eke out a win.
UTM returns to action at the end of next month when it travels to Harrington, Delaware to take part in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship. This year’s event is hosted by Delaware State and will take place on March 26-28.
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