Kim Leiter earned her first victory as the UTM interim equestrian coach as the Skyhawks defeated visiting Minnesota-Crookston by a 9-1 margin today at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Pavilion.
In a Western discipline competition, UTM swept all five points in reining while taking four of the five points awarded in horsemanship. The Skyhawks captured both MOP accolades as Hannah McDonald was spotlighted as the top reining performer and Bailey Newlin claimed top status in horsemanship.
Four different UTM riders set new season-highs in scoring in reining. McDonald set the tone, improving to a perfect 4-0 on the season after a team-best 76 performance on the way to her first MOP of the year. Noel Meadows picked up her second win of the season after a 73.5-point performance while Tess Baumann (72 points), Maggie Malone (70.5) and Erin Bledsoe (68.5) each came away with their first victories of the young 2020-21 campaign.
In horsemanship, Newlin’s season-high 76 points were good enough for her first MOP honor and second head-to-head triumph of the season. Lucy Eier and Devon Woods each generated their second victory of the season with scores of 75 and 69.5, respectively. Paige Benson additionally came away with her first triumph of the year after a tally of 69 points. Baumann ran into some tough luck as she posted a team- and season-high score of 76.5 points but was defeated by a half-point.
The Skyhawks are back at it next Friday, Feb. 19 at home as they host Delaware State at 10 a.m.
