South Dakota State's six show winning streak came to an end on Sunday in a hunt seat only competition against SMU, as the Mustangs pulling just ahead of the Jackrabbits with a close 6-5 victory at the DeHaan Equestrian Center, dropping the Jackrabbits to 6-4 on the season.
"I'm very proud of the way the girls rode today," assistant coach Kamerra Brown said. "They had a goal in mind, stayed focused and gave great effort from start to finish."
SMU posted a 4-1 score in the equitation over fences competition with some close scores between competitors. Junior Santana Wright earned the lone point for the Jacks with an 80 over the Mustangs Emma Roberts' 78. Wright now holds a 4-6 record in the fences arena.
In equitation on the flat, the Jackrabbits ended strong with a 3-2 score. Wright contributed to the Jacks success with her flat point, along with Senior Megan Violand.
Freshman Marielle Golden captured the other point for the Jacks, earning a high score of 87 over opponent Paulena Johnson's 84. Golden also earned her second MOP of the weekend for her ride in the flat arena.
"It was our first loss after six wins, but we still had a great day," head coach Megan Rossiter said. "We came close to tying SMU, which is a tough team with some very talented riders. We had some problems over fences, however the riders made up the difference with some outstanding rides on the flat."
The Jackrabbits travel to Fresno, Calif., next weekend to take on Fresno State and New Mexico State in a doubleheader.
