Julie Gibbes brought national championship experience with her when she joined the South Dakota State staff in 2010 as a graduate assistant working with the hunt seat riders after a standout career at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala.

A four-year letterwinner with the Tigers, Gibbes competed in every competition during the 2005-06 season and rode at the Varsity Equestrian National Championships in Albuquerque, N.M, when the Tigers won the overall national title. Individually, Gibbes earned a place on the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll for her work in and out of the ring.

The following season as a junior, Gibbes competed in every competition, losing just once during a season that saw her go undefeated at the Varsity Equestrian National Championships.

She kept rolling for the 2007-08 season, when she again competed in every competition and ranked as high as No. 3 individually on the Varsity Equestrian poll in collegiate reining going into the post season, where she eventually finished third in the nation.

A double major at Auburn, Gibbes graduated in 2008 with degrees in exercise science and health promotion with a minor in psychology

An accomplished rider long before her days at Auburn, Gibbes started riding at the age of five and started competing at age 12. She excelled in competitions locally and internationally on numerous levels and on a variety of horses.

In addition to her equestrian skills, she earned four varsity letters on the Hammond High School basketball team, where she served as a team captain in both her junior and senior seasons.